Celtic are looking for a new director of football this summer, and an interesting name has been linked in David Webb.
The Daily Mail claim that Webb is a prime target for the job, and he has enjoyed a fruitful career to date.
Webb was a youth scout at Southampton, head of scouting at Bournemouth and a key cog in Tottenham’s recruitment under Mauricio Pochettino before becoming Ostersund technical director in 2018.
Webb is now Huddersfield’s technical director, but it’s his time with Tottenham that is of most interest, and here are just some of the names he played a role in targeting for Spurs…
Timo Werner
The now-Chelsea striker was on Webb’s radar early, having admitted to FourFourTwo last year that he tried to bring Werner to Tottenham way back in his Stuttgart days. The German went on to join RB Leipzig and now Chelsea, smashing goal after goal in the Bundesliga before heading to England.
Wilfried Zaha
One of Webb’s key spots was Zaha. He was coaching with Palace’s academy when he saw Zaha playing as a 10-year-old in Croydon, as he told the Daily Mail. Webb would then recommend Zaha to Tottenham, and they attempted to sign him in 2016 but couldn’t prise him away from Palace. At the time, the move seemed strange as the Ivorian blew hot and cold, but Zaha kicked on and began to fulfil his potential with the Eagles.
Ademola Lookman
Lookman showed real potential with Charlton Athletic, sparking Premier League interest. Everton won the race, but Webb – alongside Paul Mitchell – worked hard to try and lure him to Spurs, but just missed out. Lookman didn’t quite click at Everton or with RB Leipzig, but has shown his quality with Fulham this season as he looks to prove himself in the Premier League.
Sadio Mane
One of Tottenham’s biggest misses in recent times, Webb and Mitchell pushed for the signing of Southampton star Sadio Mane in the summer of 2016, but were blown out of the water financially by Liverpool. Mane has been one of the Premier League’s top players in recent years, and Spurs are no doubt kicking themselves that they couldn’t land the Senegal ace.
Moussa Dembele
A name very familiar with Celtic fans, striker Dembele was a hero at Parkhead with 51 goals in 94 games. Before that though, Webb wanted to bring the French goalscorer to Tottenham from Fulham, seeing him as ideal competition for Harry Kane. No deal was done, Celtic swooped in and lured Dembele to Glasgow, where he became a hero before leaving for Lyon in 2018.
Some of these stories go to show that Webb can identify talent, and that’s what Celtic are ultimately looking for as they attempt to recover from a dismal season.
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