So today’s the day. Nicky Hammond will finally be confirmed as Celtic’s Head of Recruitment.
Honestly, this one leaves me with mixed emotions, because this is a deal that could have been done at any moment from he first set foot in the building.
Quite what we’ve waited for here, I do not know. Perhaps people inside Celtic Park simply wanted to make sure that this guy knew his business and could put together a plan. If so, they’re obviously convinced, but why now?
In the end, does it really matter? Nicky Hammond has a good reputation and has been working away behind the scenes.
He knows the club now, he knows the changes we have to instigate to get his plan up and running.
He knows what budget he has to work with and is familiar with all the personnel.
The last few months will have bedded him in.
It’s a strange way to hire the guy … but if it works how can we complain and why would we bother? This should be good, provided he gets the space and time and resources he requires and there’s no second guessing from the de facto director of football in the background.
This is ever the worry, of course.
One of the first things he’ll have to do is decide on whether or not we renew our interest in the young midfielder from Motherwell,
David Turnbull. According to some of the hacks we’re prepared to do just that.
It’s not a great surprise, because we did ask Motherwell if we could take charge of his recovery period and then buy him at the end.
If we’re satisfied that the boy is fit, then it’s only natural we’d want to complete this deal.
He was the first player we tried to sign this summer; he was the priority. And although most of us do believe that we have greater needs than another attacking midfielder, this boy can definitely play and with Brexit looming we need as many good home grown talents as we can get.
This just makes good sense all round.
That’s for January. In the meantime, Nicky Hammond should be announced at some point today. As he’s at the club right now on the surface of it not that much will actually change … but now the job is his for real he can start putting the plan in place and implementing it.
Show us what you’ve got in your bag of tricks my man.
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