Why Celtic's lack of recruitment appointments is worrying

Met with many celebratory remarks on social media, these developments were seen as a step in the right direction for the club, as successful results in these departments in recent years have been few and far between. Indeed, the volume of unsuccessful signings since Lawwell – son of chairman and ex-chief executive Peter – had joined the club was not coincidental. You only need to look at the players that Brendan Rodgers relied on at the end of the season to realise how unsatisfactory the new recruits have been concerning on-field matters.

Lawwell joined the club in 2022, tasked with continuing the good work that Ange Postecoglou had started as a de facto recruitment chief, despite also leading the team as first-team manager. Indeed, apart from the likes of Aaron Mooy, Alistair Johnston, Luis Palma (to an extent) Paulo Bernardo and Adam Idah (both loans), his identification and recruitment have been shoddy, to say the very least. Argentina left-back Alexandro Bernabei was an expensive acquisition, who has temporarily returned to his native South America on loan, whilst Oliver Abildgaard, Yuki Kobayashi, Sead Haksabanovic, Marco Tilio, Gustaf Lagerbielke and others have failed to impress at the club.

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Therefore, it was no surprise when the club announced that Lawwell and his second-in-command were to move to pastures new when their contracts expired. That is all well and good, with these individuals removed from impacting Celtic’s business starting this summer, but where are their replacements? Apart from murmurings that Mark Cooper – a longtime South American scout – had joined the club on a full-time basis, there has been nothing in the way of who Lawwell’s recruitment successor will be, or when a decision would be made on the identification of a number one candidate.

In a sense, this lack of proactiveness is perfectly symmetrical to Celtic’s actual recruitment drive. There are clear areas in Rodgers’ squad that need to be addressed, as well as a requirement for more depth in the forthcoming campaign. After all, the side will be fighting on four different fronts next season, with the revamped Champions League becoming even more demanding from next season onwards.

Of course, Celtic could put the power directly into Rodgers’ hands for the time being, but can the elite-level manager transfer his talents into the field of player identification and recruitment? Many would be more than happy to bestow this responsibility to the Northern Irishman, though it should not come down to this if we’re being brutally honest.

It is important to underline the point that the transfer window has only officially opened today, though that does not stop clubs from getting their ducks in a row concerning future business. In this sense, Celtic are lagging behind, as their recruitment team has not yet been finalised for the window ahead, a worrying development concerning incoming players.

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Speaking of players and positions, the small matter of replacing the iconic Joe Hart has not been tackled yet, despite the media linking the club to seemingly every goalkeeper available this window. Celtic have known of Hart’s intentions to step down for months, yet this position and the recruitment department that will work on finding his successor has not been assembled yet. Not to repeat myself every summer, but the ‘proactive, not reactive’ plea may have to be wheeled out yet again in this transfer window.

Elsewhere, Kyogo Furuhashi remains the only fully capable first-choice striker at the club, whilst the same can be said for Greg Taylor at the left-back position. These are three key areas that must be addressed, yet the delegation that will do so has not yet been finalised. This is before you take into account potential player sales and incomings in other areas. For a department that Rodgers fawned over at numerous points last season, it seems to be in a bit of a mess at present.

Sticking with the incumbent manager, it is vitally important that the double-winning manager is sufficiently backed with the best personnel available to the club. It's no secret that Celtic have tens of millions – at least – in reserve, thanks partly to the successes of Rodgers last campaign. Imagine what he could achieve with the backing he craves and strives for at Celtic. The possibilities for the club are both exciting and endless, particularly on the European front.

In order to do so, however, it is imperative that the structure concerning transfers is finalised, and quickly. Time is of the essence to bring in Lawwell’s replacement, as well as a successor to Dudgeon, though that responsibility may fall to the seemingly incoming Cooper, in truth. Whatever the club decide to do in this sector, they have to get a move on concerning executing said plans.

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Celtic are in an envious position, though they cannot rest on their laurels and expect to get away with the same mistakes this season. Despite securing the double, there was a point that an unthinkable trophyless season was possible in the previous campaign, though thankfully that never came to fruition. The assumption that their rivals will rebuild and strengthen has to be taken as fact until proven otherwise.

Does this all sound familiar? Celtic being in the ‘driving seat’ but at risk of ‘falling asleep at the wheel’ are two phrases that have been synonymous with the club as a whole in the modern era. We’ve seen this movie before, and we do not like the ending, especially if the same mistakes are made once again. For now, though, Celtic must quickly identify Lawwell and Dudgeon’s successors, so that the battle plans can be drawn out for this summer’s assault on the transfer market.

Failure to do so would be verging on ‘incompetence’, to use the manager’s turn of phrase.