Celtic’s new Head of Recruitment Lee Congerton endured disaster the last time he did business with the Bhoys.
General view inside Celtic Park
Celtic have landed Lee Congerton as their new Head of Recruitment – but he will still have nightmares over his last deal with the Bhoys.
After seeing John Park quit as chief scout back in October, Celtic have been searching for a new transfer guru – and they have landed a man well known to manager Brendan Rodgers.
On Wednesday, Celtic confirmed the appointment of Lee Congerton as their new Head of Recruitment, reuniting him with former Chelsea colleague Rodgers.
Congerton was working as a youth coach and eventual chief scout during Rodgers’ time as reserve team coach at Stamford Bridge, and their strong relationship has lived on over the years.
Welshman Congerton has taken roles with Hamburg and Sunderland in recent times, and the latter provided Congerton with his last deal with Celtic – and it’s fair to say that the move was a disaster.
In the summer of 2015, Congerton – then with Sunderland – swooped to land Bhoys right back Adam Matthews, snapping up the Welsh international in a deal worth £2million according to The Northern Echo.
Sunderland’s Adam Matthews in action with Leicester City’s Jeffrey Schlupp
Viewed as Sunderland’s long-term solution at right back, Matthews started on the opening day of the 2015-16 Premier League season, but after a 4-2 defeat at Leicester, he has played just one further game for Sunderland – and that was in a Capital One Cup tie against League Two side Exeter City.
Matthews has spent over a year on loan at Bristol City now, and having played just two games in almost two years at the Stadium of Light, the defender appears to have no future on Wearside, and is expected to leave permanently this summer.
Celtic will be hoping for better from Congerton during his time in Glasgow, with manager Rodgers telling the club’s official website that he thinks the Welshman is ‘the best’ in the business – but that deal with Celtic for Matthews will certainly go down on his record as a disastrous move.
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