Getting player recruitment right is one of the biggest reasons for Celtic’s success over the years. Of course for every Virgil van Dijk you get a Glenn Loovens and there’s an Amido Balde for every Moussa Dembele, but you can’t expect to hit every single time.
Especially now the “elite” clubs seem intent on closing the Champions League off to most and only focus on making themselves richer, it means recruitment is more important than ever. The biggest clubs only want to sign established players so it leaves an opportunity open to sign some talented youngsters.
That’s why the appointment of Nicky Hammond could be crucial. He’s now officially the Head of Football Operations which directly involves identifying players for Neil Lennon to sign. The Daily Record reported on some of Lenny’s comments and he certainly sounds positive about the appointment.
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Speaking about Hammond he said: “Recruitment is up there as one of the most important facets of managing these days, so his role will be key. It’s important to see players with your own eyes, whether I go and watch or Nicky goes.”
He went on to add: “It’s like a good marriage. Sometimes stats can hide things and they can overdo things as well.”
Hammond has previously worked in similar roles at West Brom and Reading. It’s hard to really get a gauge on how successful he will be based on that history, neither club has had any great success but they face different circumstances to Celtic.
The real proof will be judging how well his signings do and if he can help Neil Lennon build the team to compete at the next level – which realistically means a regular berth in the group stages of the Champions League and competing for the knockout rounds.
At least the gaffer sounds positive about it.
