Former Celtic recruitment chief set for surprise European DoF role

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Former Celtic recruitment chief Nick Hammond is reportedly set for a surprise move to take up the director of football role at Hapoel Tel Aviv.

The 55-year-old joined the Hoops recruitment team originally to consult during the 2019 summer transfer window, which was Neil Lennon’s first window in his second spell as permanent boss.

However, following the conclusion of the window, Hammond took up the Head of Football Operations role at Parkhead.

During his tenure at the club, the Hoops picked up some smart additions, including the signings of Mohamed Elyounoussi on loan and Jeremie Frimpong.

However, Hammond’s second season in the role saw the Bhoys go through a bit of a disastrous spell of signings, with the likes of Shane Duffy, Vasilis Barkas and Albian Ajeti arriving in the summer 2020 window.

Subsequently, as the club prepared to undergo a dramatic rebuild on and off the field, Hammond departed after around 17 months at the club in March of last year.

Since his Celtic departure, the former Reading man has spent a short spell at English Premier League side Newcastle United after once again being hired on a short-term deal as a transfer consultant.

He has been without a club since January. However, his spell in the game could be about to come to an end.

According to a report from Sun Sport, Hammond is set to make a surprise move to Israel to take up the position of director of football at Hapoel Tel Aviv.

With the Israeli club set to be taken over by new American owners, the addition of Hammond to the recruitment team is one of the first steps they are deciding to take.

The new owners will have their sights set on success, with the hope that Hammond’s recruitment can help Hapoel Tel Aviv to their first league title in 12 years.

After an up-and-down spell at Parkhead, Hammond’s next major move is certainly an interesting one. His last season, in particular, was extremely poor, barring the signing of David Turnbull, who is still part of Ange Postecoglou’s squad.

So, you would imagine he will be hoping to use his experiences of his last head recruitment role to his advantage by learning from his mistakes.

Hammond’s knowledge of the game seemed to be based mostly around the English leagues, so it should be intriguing to see if he makes similar moves to his time in Glasgow.

In other news, Celtic stars past and present hail Postecoglou in amazing behind-the-scenes montage.