Celtic recently announced that Nick Hammond had been appointed as the club’s new head of football operations.
The appointment wasn’t all that much of a surprise, as Hammond had been working for the club on a temporary basis during the summer.
However, Celtic legend Chris Sutton thinks that the move to appoint Hammond could be the indication of a power shift at the club.
Writing in his column in the Daily Record, he puts forward the theory that Hammond’s role could mean that Hoops chief executive Peter Lawwell is perhaps taking a ‘step back’.
“Gradually taking a step back”
“The interesting thing is the grand title. It looks like he has been given a lot of power. It could be seen as a sign of Lawwell gradually taking a step back. If the chief executive has liked what Hammond has suggested in terms of the structure of the club and the work he has done, then he has to have full trust in his new man to hand him the reins” was Sutton’s take on the matter.
It is too early to tell if Peter Lawwell will be less involved on the football side of things at Celtic Park. He could still have a major role to play.
Job title seems to suggest plenty of responsibilities
However, as Sutton suggests, the title of Hammond’s job does suggest a lot of responsibilities. It seems to indicate that Hammond will be in charge of all aspects of Celtic’s football departments. That could include the youth football department.
It could take a while for any developments to be made in that department. The same could be said for any process that involves Peter Lawwell taking a step back from what it is happening at the club.
In time, Sutton’s comments may be seen as prescient about what is going to happen at Celtic in the future. Should that be the case, then Hammond will be a very important man at Celtic for a long time to come.
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