It’s been a season of exits at Celtic so far.
Back in the summer, many expected Brendan Rodgers to see out his contract before leaving at the end of the season. One Honda Civic analogy later, he was gone in October.
Rodgers’ sudden exit was accompanied with the departures of John Kennedy, Adam Sadler, Glen Driscoll and Jack Lyons, decimating the Hoops’ coaching staff.
Martin O’Neill replaced Rodgers on an interim basis, before the permanent arrival of Wilfried Nancy.
But it wasn’t long before the departure of another key figure was confirmed, in the form of Head of Scouting Jay Lefevre, who moved to Swansea City.
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Jay Lefevre breaks silence on leaving Celtic
Lefevre joined Celtic from Arsenal in 2019 – he worked with Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou and Rodgers.
There’s no doubt that he played a part in some successful transfer windows, but by the time of his exit, many Hoops fans had run out of patience with the club’s recruitment setup.
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The extent to which Lefevre was responsible for this is impossible to know, but Lefevre has now addressed his Celtic days in a LinkedIn post following his departure.
Lefevre said: “6 years, 12 trophies and 2 record breaking player sales in the club’s history from individuals that were recruited in a period where I was leading the scouting and recruitment function on an interim basis.
“My time at Celtic has come to an end, and what an experience it has been.
“I’ll always be grateful to Celtic Football Club for the trust they placed in me as a 29 year old to lead the scouting and recruitment process with the guidance of Ange Postecoglou and the broader team during the 2021/22 season, which led to both domestic and numerous player acquisition success stories.
“Thank you, Celtic, for giving me the opportunity to work for such an incredible club and support the scouting functions over the years.
“I’m incredibly proud of the department we have built, which aligns with the modern approach to player ID by developing statistical methods and a robust process to assess and recommend players who align with the club’s recruitment model.
“The past 6 years have exceeded all expectations and given me so many positive memories that I’ll be eternally grateful for. I now look forward to watching from a distance with only fond memories and wish the club the best.
“I will now start a new chapter at Swansea City Football Club, where I will become the Chief Scout.”
The ‘interim period’ that Lefevre references is the period between the departure of Nick Hammond and Mark Lawwell, who both fronted the club’s recruitment process.
Given the success of Lefevre’s brief period filling in at the top, which saw the signings of the likes of Jota, Matt O’Riley and Josip Juranovic, it’s a bit confusing why he didn’t land the role permanently…
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Celtic’s recruitment process since 2019
Lawwell junior left Celtic in 2024, after signings such as Gustaf Lagerbielke, Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Odin Thiago Holm simply didn’t work out (The worst thing is that I could go on.)
Instead of replacing him with another Head of Recruitment, Celtic then hired Paul Tisdale in the broader role of Head of Football Operations.
Tisdale’s level of influence wasn’t clear, but his role in the process of hiring Wilfried Nancy made it evident that he is a major player at the club.
He was never seen in attendance at Celtic Park until he was seen with his eyes shut at Sunday’s defeat to Hearts. Some have said that Tisdale was asleep.
You couldn’t make it up.
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