Celtic have confirmed that Nick Hammond has resigned from his position of Head of Football Operations at the club. The former West Brom and Reading recruitment chief joined on a temporary basis in the summer of 2019, before his move was made permanent later that summer. The former goalkeeper oversaw the recruitment at the club and was personally involved with scouting and signing Vasilis Barkas from AEK Athens.
Hammond has overseen four transfer windows and has been criticised for some of the acquisitions in the past – such as Ajeti, Klimala, Barkas and Duffy. However, there is likely more to the story of the transfer dealings, at least Hammond can say he was involved in the signing of David Turnbull this season. Some of the deals, on paper, looked shrewd but in practice they failed to live up to expectations on the park – something that has cost the jobs of the three major officials at the club – Neil Lennon, Peter Lawwell and now Hammond.
Best of luck to Nick, wherever he ends up.
Head of Football Operations, Nick Hammond, has resigned from his position at the Club to pursue new opportunities.
All the best for the future, Nick 🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) March 31, 2021
This move may open the door for the appointment of Fergal Harkin from Manchester City as the club modernise after a poor season. The Irishman is favourite to become the new Director of Football.
The 44-year-old has spent 11 years with the City Football Group as they have grown to become one of football’s prominent forces, mainly thanks to shrewd recruitment across the board. Harkin is the Football Partnerships Manager at City and is highly rated for his extensive transfer network. City and Celtic have enjoyed a close relationship in recent years and Harkin is believed to be a Celtic supporter.
Harkin is expected to bring a number of City analysts and scouts with him as part of the incoming overhaul at Celtic Park. This will likely give Harkin and incoming CEO the ability to appoint a new manager ahead of next season. Enzo Maresca, Eddie Howe and Jesse Marsch have been linked with the role in recent weeks as the club look to rebuild after a poor season.
Harkin has helped find and provide professional development pathways to a number of young players. He is potentially the most attractive candidate given the amount of influence he has with the Etihad club. The links that City have across the world are phenomenal and Harkin has helped cultivate that.
