According to a report by the Athletic John Park – former Celtic head scout and pivotal recruitment cog once upon a time – has joined the ranks of theRangers. The move comes after the cinch Scottish Premiership club lost their head of recruitment just the other week to Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League.
Park, renowned for delivering such gems as Victor Wanyama, Fraser Forster and Virgil Van Dijk to Celtic Park, will now be put in charge of the Ibrox club’s dwindling finance pot as they look to try and keep up with the rapacious nature of Ange Postecoglou and Michael Nicholson’s recruitment drive for the second summer running.
They all laughed when we were in disarray last summer after the Neil Lennon firing and Eddie Howe saga that dragged into June. However, the laughing turned to sounds of perpetual, dissonant wailing as the Greek-Aussie Ange Postecoglou built a title-winning side that snatched the cinch Premiership league crown back at the first time of asking; leaving a somewhat irate and sombre mood hanging over the Govan club.
Now that Ange has already secured some of his key targets in quick succession in Benjamin Seigrist and Alexandro Bernabei, CCV and Jota, it looks like there will be more to follow as the Ibrox outfit meander around looking for bargain basement deals because nobody will buy their highly-inflated stars. It looks like it could be an excruciating summer across the city as we kick Angeball: Part II into overdrive.
Park will no doubt have various connections within the game and could unearth a gem or two for them that is undeniable. But, at this rate, he will have to find more than just one or two at ridiculously low prices as the bank of Ibrox is under severe strain. For every fiver they spend and all that…
Paul Gillespie