Either Neil Lennon has the best poker face in football or the Celtic manager is being kept in the dark about some of the club’s transfer targets.
Nicky Hammond is Celtic’s director of football these days and, so far, he has been central to the deals that brought Christopher Jullien and Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo to Glasgow for a combined £10 million.
But Lennon was left completely nonplussed when quizzed about Celtic’s links with Ecuadorian wonderkid Jose Cifuentes, a star of the recent U20 World Cup.
“Never heard of him,” the former Hibernian boss said, as reported by The Express. His rather blunt admission came just days after the Scottish Sun claimed that Celtic were keen to sign the 20-year-old for £2.5 million.
Cifuentes even stated, in an interview with El Comercio, that Celtic’s representatives had indeed been in touch.
So is Lennon being kept in the dark? Maybe so. Either way, Celtic would be signing one hell of a talent if Cifuentes arrives.
“He was the beating heart of the Ecuador side which finished third at the U20 World Cup. “I think he’s a terrific midfielder,” South American expert Tim Vickery told talkSPORT (17 July, 3.30pm).
“He’s strong, he’s got quality, he’s got a good engine. He’s one of the best all round midfielders that I’ve seen come out of South America in a while. Get him, sign him on.
“He strikes the ball well, moves it across the field. I like him a lot.”
Hammond arrived at Celtic with a point to prove after he was hounded out of West Brom following a series of big-money flops. But, if he succeeds in a deal to bring Cifuentes to Scotland, he could secure his legacy for years to come.
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