Celtic manager Neil Lennon has hailed the work of Head of Football Operations Nick Hammond this summer, and believes he’s now built a fine infrastructure behind-the-scenes.
The Hoops have so far had an incredible transfer window in terms of successful incomings. The likes of Albian Ajeti, Vasilis Barkas, Shane Duffy, and David Turnbull have all shown positive signs since arriving.
Hammond has played a key role in that recruitment side of things too, helping to set up a scouting system that has been reaping rewards for the Hoops after initially joining the club last summer.
And his work hasn’t gone unnoticed by Lennon, as the Celtic boss also pinpointed the one area he wants to strengthen before tomorrow’s deadline.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun, Lennon said: “Nick has had more time to install the infrastructure behind the scenes. That took a mountain of work, and he and his staff and scouts, who we have based in various places, have been working tirelessly.
“We’ve been trying to get the right fit at the right price. I think they have done a remarkable job. Albian Ajeti has been a fantastic piece of business. Vasilis Barkas is an international keeper and I’m delighted with him. David Turnbull is a great young talent, we are delighted with him too.
“We are working feverishly in the background though, and we do need support on the left side. It’s the one area we do need to strengthen. The only real business we want to do is bring one in.”
One of our most impressive windows – so long as we avoid late departures
Should Celtic get to the end of the transfer window tomorrow night with their squad still intact, it will be the best window the club will have had in a long time.
However, all it takes for us to plunge into disaster is if an Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer, or Ryan Christie was sold before the deadline. That simply has to be avoided by any means necessary.
If there was to be a big-name departure, you can’t then turn around and say the manager has been backed. Especially considering that sale would likely pay for all of the business we’ve done in the window. Should the board stay strong in the next 40 hours or so, they’ll deserve enormous credit.
As for Hammond, the quality in signings has certainly picked up since he came in the door. This has been by far his most impressive window yet, and it’s clear his contacts and knowledge of the game down south are providing us with a huge boost.
It’ll be interesting to see what he has up his sleeve for the left-side, with Greg Taylor needing some competition in the position. Quite simply, given the lack of quality in that area, it has to be another rabbit out of the hat moment from Hammond and co.
But in the long-term, this looks like a set-up that’s going to bring in plenty of cracking deals for Celtic in future transfer windows.
In other news, 67HailHail writer John Reid believes a player recently back from injury must be thrown into the St Johnstone game today.
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