Celtic are heading into a crucial transfer window without a recruitment chief and John Park doesn’t look like coming back either, as reported by The Daily Mail.
With Head of Recruitment Lee Congerton leaving to join former manager Brendan Rodgers at Leicester City this week, the Hoops are on the hunt for a new man to come in and forge a new way forward in the scouting department.
The paper report that the man Neil Lennon wanted to arrive at Lennoxtown was John Park, who of course has a previous long spell at the Hoops under his belt.
However, he’s now set to join up at Sunderland and help spearhead their rise through the English lower leagues.
Park helped sign high profile players such as Victor Wanyama, Ki Sung-yueng and Virgil van Dijk but eventually left the club shortly after Rodgers’ appointment in 2016.
Given our recruitment arguably regressed rather than improved after his departure, a return ahead of one of our most important transfer windows ever this summer wouldn’t have been the worst idea.
We now go into the next few months with an critical absence of key staff. Obviously the manager takes priority, but we also need a head scout who can oversee our attempts to attract some exciting talent to Celtic Park this summer.
Congerton’s departure was celebrated by some fans and long-term it may well be a positive, but who is now fulfilling his day-to-day duties and will this have an impact on signing players?
These questions need to be addressed by the club so supporters know what to expect when a new manager comes in or Lennon is given the permanent job.