Neil Lennon and Brendan Rodgers have both commented on the exit of Peter Lawwell from Celtic.
The club announced earlier today that the long-serving CEO will step down from his role in the summer to retire.
Both managers play a prominent role in the legacy he leaves at Celtic Park, helping bring enormous success to the club over the last couple of decades.
As reported by BBC Scotland, Rodgers praised Lawwell for bringing ‘great stability’ to the club, also stating: “You only need to look at how Celtic is run as a business, and the figures behind that, to see the great job Peter has done there.”
Lennon meanwhile went into more detail on Lawwell’s record, enthusiastically defending him from criticism in today’s press conference.
As quoted by BBC Scotland, he said: “I can’t speak for the fans and how they perceive other people’s record at the club. What I do know is in a very high-pressurised job he won a lot of battles for Celtic. And on and off the field the club has made enormous strides in the last 17 years.
“You’ve got three Champions League last-16 appearances, 13 league titles, a quadruple treble, you’ve got [wins over] Barcelona [2012], Man United [2006], Lazio [2020]. You’ve got [Virgil] Van Dijk, [Victor] Wanyama, [Fraser] Forster, [Moussa] Dembele, all these players that have come in, enhanced the club on the field and then left for a vast amount of money.
“Only in the last couple of days, we’ve taken a young player [Jeremie Frimpong] from Man City and sold him for a huge amount of money. When you put that into perspective, it’s phenomenal the work he’s put into the club.
“You look around the stadium, the walkway, it’s in magnificent condition. While Dominic has big shoes to fill, I’ve seen the club in a lot worse stress than it is now.”
Peter Lawwell will be remembered as a Celtic titan
Regardless of how you feel about Lawwell right now, he will go down in history as one of the most influential figures ever at Celtic Park.
Yes, this season hasn’t gone to plan. Yes, it’s the right time for him depart. Yes, there is a regression at Celtic.
Mistakes have been made along the way. Of course there have been. However, his trophy record is undeniable.
It’s no surprise two of the managers that served under him have nice things to say.
Celtic will celebrate his achievements for years to come.
In other news, Neil Lennon has been speaking about bringing in two players before the transfer deadline.
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