With Celtic struggling to make a transfer impact, what is Lee Congerton doing for his hefty wage?
Congerton was brought in by Brendan Rodgers back in March 2017 from Sunderland. His role was to be Celtic’s new head of recruitment.
At the time it was an exciting appointment, and supporters had belief the club was moving in the right direction.
Exciting Arrival
Congerton arrived with a strong knowledge of the English game. Apparently, he also had an extensive list of contacts that were essential to helping Rodgers moult his Celtic dynasty.
However, a year-and-a-half on and questions have to now be asked. Just what is Congerton getting paid to do?
If it’s to target players for Rodgers, then he has to be made accountable for several aspects.
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Firstly, since arriving at the club, Celtic have brought in nine fresh faces. Out of those nine, only Olivier Ntcham and Odsonne Edouard could be considered a success.
Despite having contacts down south, the Hoops have signed just three players from England since his arrival. One of which was Patrick Roberts who wasn’t scouted by Congerton.
If this is the Englishman’s remit – to find players for the manager – he’s failing massively. However, there’s yet to be any accountability for the mistakes he’s made in the role so far.
Domestic Targets
The latest speculation linking Scott McKenna to the club is another knife in the back of the Hoops support. Celtic fans expected so much when Congerton arrived. However, the likes of McKenna, Jack Hendry, and Scott Bain just won’t cut it.
The former Sunderland Sporting Director surely isn’t being paid to provide Rodgers with players right under his nose.
It could be the case that the Celtic manager likes the look of guys like Hendry and McKenna himself. Therefore, the situation goes above Congerton.
However, as the Head of Recruitment, he has to start being held accountable for how weakened Celtic’s squad now is.
There’s no denying Congerton is on a healthy wage at the club. What will now be concerning supporters is that his wage is probably more than the club are willing to spend on transfers. It won’t be long before our most expensive signing is Congerton himself.
There’s been little to no transparency with the supporters over what’s been going on at the club. Rodgers also needs to take some blame for this.
Congerton remains his man, and all signings being made are both subject to his or Congerton’s approval. Therefore, in this aspect, both have failed badly.
There’s no question Celtic need to strengthen at the back. Bringing back Dedryck Boyata certainly won’t stick with the supporters.
However, it’s time that Congerton especially started earning his keep, and started providing successful players for the club to target.