Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is keen to get scouting help in before the end of the season.
General view inside Celtic Park
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has told The Scottish Herald that he expects the club to appoint a new chief scout by the end of the season.
The Bhoys have worked wonders in the transfer market in recent years, as the likes of Fraser Forster, Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama, Ki Sung-yueng and Gary Hooper were all brought and then sold on to Premier League clubs for profit.
More recently, the Bhoys have hit the jackpot with signings such as Erik Sviatchenko, Jozo Simunovic and particularly Moussa Dembele, who looks to have a huge future ahead of him.
However, Celtic have suffered a big blow this season, as chief scout John Park left the club in October, resigning after ten years with the club.
Celtic have yet to replace Park since his departure, and whilst the Bhoys swooped to land midfielder Kouassi Eboue from Krasnodar in January, it seems that manager Brendan Rodgers wants a replacement for Park brought in.
Speaking to The Scottish Herald, Rodgers suggested that he expects a new chief scout on board by the end of the season, allowing Celtic to prepare for the summer transfer window.
Rodgers added that he wants a fusion of new school and old school approaches to scouting, noting that whoever comes in must ‘know a player’, whether they use modern technology and analytics or not.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers
“Between now and the summer we’ll probably have something organised on it,” said Rodgers. “We’re working on it behind the scenes and it’s been a good process. We’re just waiting on the right one.”
“It can very complicated in modern football but for me it’s simple: know a player. You get a lot of new school [thinking] around now with computers, statistics and analysis but you still need guys who know a player. A bit of new school and old school and that fusion should allow you to bring in the players that you want.”
Few names have been linked with the role so far, but The Scottish Sun recently reported that Lee Congerton is one name in the frame to join Celtic’s scouting department.
Formerly Sunderland’s sporting director, Congerton – who has also worked for Hamburg – worked with Rodgers at Chelsea, and it’s believed that the 43-year-old could be targeted for a Glasgow reunion with the Celtic boss, which would certainly be beneficial given his history of working with Rodgers.
Who would you like to see Celtic appoint as their new chief scout?
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