Celtic face a rebuilding job in the summer as their title hopes for this season fade away
The likes of Neil Lennon, Shane Duffy and Peter Lawwell have taken the bulk of the blame for Celtic’s disastrous campaign, but one former player has pinpointed a less high-profile key figure at the club.
A season which was supposed to end with 10-in-a-row celebrations has spiralled into chaos, with exits from the Champions League, Europa League and Betfred Cup piling on the misery as Rangers raced to a 23-point lead at the top of the Premiership.
With no wins from four league games so far in 2021, Celtic’s title dreams are over according to Kris Commons.
The 37-year-old, who won five titles in his time at the club, believes head of football operations Nick Hammond has serious questions to answer.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Commons said: “It seems that, in all likelihood, the board will allow him (Neil Lennon) to see things through until the end of the season.
“But, in the bigger picture, and in terms of how the club move forward from here, it’s the lack of vision and direction coming from the boardroom which is most alarming.
“Nick Hammond is the head of football operations at Celtic Park. He oversees the club’s scouting and recruitment department.
“Was it Hammond who sanctioned a combined £10million outlay on Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti? Or a £2m loan fee plus a hefty wage packet for Shane Duffy?
“The £3.5m wasted on Patryk Klimala is another case in point. Ultimately, Hammond is the man who must carry the can for this litany of woeful signings.
“With Ajeti and Duffy, and the way they fell out of favour at West Ham and Brighton, some people have suggested that Celtic now only sign players who are warming the bench for other clubs.
“For me, though, that misses the point. Scott Sinclair wasn’t exactly doing much for Aston Villa prior to Celtic signing him in 2016. The rest, as they say, is history.
“In terms of players being cast aside by clubs down south, there’s nothing wrong with exploring that particular market if you know what you’re looking for and have a good eye for a player.
“But therein lies the key problem in all of this. Collectively as a club, Celtic have lost their eye for a player. Ultimately, managers are only as good as the players coming through the door.
“Regular readers will know my views on Celtic’s recruitment and just how poor it has been over the past few seasons, so I won’t go over old ground.
“Instead, it’s what lies ahead which now takes on huge importance because even the most ardent Celtic fan must now admit that this season’s title race is done and dusted.
“The club are facing their biggest rebuild in a generation and fans have absolutely no idea who is going to be trusted to oversee the whole operation.
“Typically, it would be the chief executive who would work together with the manager to appoint a new sporting director.
“But will Peter Lawwell still be there next season? Or will he be told to step aside? The truth of the matter is that nobody knows.
“Given his track record, I wouldn’t trust Hammond to spend a penny of that money when it comes to rebuilding this squad.”
Celtic play host to Hamilton Accies on Wednesday night.
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