Why Celtic are continuing to scout players without a manager

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There have been plenty of exciting Celtic transfer reports before a new manager is even in the door.

Last week we had the Hoops apparently courting the likes of Kevin Nisbet and Aaron Hickey [Scottish Sun]. The week beforehand we were keeping tabs on St Johnstone’s Ali McCann and watching him in action [The Sunday Post, print edition, 09/05, back page].

There’s one major question the Celtic fans keep asking when they see these reports. Why are we scouting players without a manager in place?

Undoubtedly, getting the new number one in the door is the most important piece of business of them all. Only then can we start making final decisions on transfers and get started on this rebuild we’re so keen to get underway.

But in order for that rebuild to start quickly after the new man start, we need plenty of forward planning.

Celtic putting plans in place for new manager to review

All Celtic are doing is gathering up players who fit the profile of what the club could be looking for in the summer. Players that fall into the category of Scotland’s best young talents and potential English kids who could flourish.

In addition to that, ensuring we have some suitable candidates to replace Odsonne Edouard as well as sort out the defensive crisis we’re scheduled to have, will be nothing but a help to the new man. It allows him to be given a detailed look at some of the best talent available to us. Allows them to analyse them in more detail than would be possible.

This saves the new manager’s own scouting team from having to gather a lot of this information. It could easily lead to Celtic making quick starts on specific targets the manager likes the look of.

Given the number of players we need this summer, this kind of work is essential. If, let’s say for talking sake, Eddie Howe comes to the club and there’s no info on potential targets available, a lot of extra work will need to be done.

Celtic aren’t going to be signing players until the manager is in the door. They won’t go out and splash £6m on a striker without it being given the go-ahead by the new regime. But what they can do is gather information on some of the best prospects available for the manager to review.

Hopefully, we’ll be all the better because of it as we continue to await our big managerial announcement.

In other news, the Celtic fans are in full agreement after yesterday’s Euro 2020 announcement.