What we know about Joe Dudgeon as Celtic strengthen scouting team; more appointments could follow

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Celtic have strengthened their scouting team with the appointment of first-team scout Joe Dudgeon, according to reports.

Mark Hendry from Football Scotland is reporting that Dudgeon has joined the club after leaving the City Football Group.

And a look at Dudgeon’s LinkedIn page has him listed as Lead First Team Scout at Celtic.

The Football Scotland report says that Dudgeon will be linking back up with Mark Lawwell, who he worked with in the pair’s time together at CFG.

Dudgeon was Scouting Account Manager at CFG clubs New York City and Melbourne City – where he was tasked with overseeing international recruitment.

He worked in that role for just under three years, and was also Emerging Talent Scout at Manchester City prior to that.

He is a former left-back, who came through Manchester United’s youth setup before playing most notably for Hull City.

He retired in the summer of 2015, aged just 24, after having knee issues.

A 2020 Hull Live interview with Dudgeon is essential reading if you want to find out more about him.

On the face of it, his attitude to his career being cut short by injuries is admirable, and something that ties in well with Ange Postecoglou‘s ethos.

Dudgeon: “The way I’ve been brought up and the way my brain works, I tell myself I’ve been given a head-start on what I needed to do after football.

“You’ve just got to crack on. There’s a lot more things in life you need to worry about.”

So Dudgeon seems like a good fit. And he may not be the last scouting appointment Celtic make before the summer.

Hendry also says Celtic are “likely to be open to adding further staff” in the scouting area over the next few months.

As is the case with all scouts, Dudgeon will be judged on the quality of player he recommends.

He seems to be highly rated in that regard and, most importantly, this move will have the backing of Ange.

Celtic haven’t done too badly in terms of recruitment under Postecoglou so far. The prospect of even more to come with Dudgeon involved is very exciting.

In other news, Scottish football’s main three governing bodies have united to create a new marketing division