For a player it’s often important to sign for his new club in time to start pre-season training. Those who sign on the dotted line later in the season will use the clichéd fall back excuse of not quite being up to speed, to explain lack lustre performances or an inability to impose themselves on the first eleven. The missed opportunity of a full physical programme allied to a tactical introduction, often suits as an excuse for performing below the expected levels. It is often a valid justification.
Celtic’s Head of Football Operations Nick Hammond could well argue a similar point. Last summer on the back of the dreadfully mismanaged exit of his under-performing predecessor Lee Congerton, Hammond was brought in, initially on a try before you buy basis by Peter Lawwell. The Celtic Star called it a summer job.
Celtic’s Chief Executive it must be said was somewhat negligent when it came to forward planning for the nine in a row assault. There were mitigating circumstances of course with Brendan Rodgers taking more than half the backroom team to Leicester City, but that would be to easy an out for Lawwell.
He took his eye off the ball waiting for a compensation payment from Leicester for Congerton and allowed the scouting system ahead of a vital campaign to be mothballed for several months, probably distracted as ever by UEFA and SFA commitments, deemed far more important than the day to day running and future of footballing operations. Ironically enough a good reason for a more expedient appointment to such a vital role.
Hammond joined Celtic on July 1 to work with the Club, initially across the summer period. Highly regarded across football having held Director of Football and Technical Director positions at Reading FC and West Bromwich Albion FC respectively the initial summer intern approach was baffling. However given the stories of no recruitment planning for the new season and an analysis and scouting department light on numbers, it was important to have someone of such experience in to help a new manager in Neil Lennon get to work.
The division of labour was going to be vital. Lennon needed a summer to get his message across to new players, bed in a new backroom team and work on developing the tactical approach of predecessor Rodgers ahead of a new campaign. A helping hand in the murky world of scouting and recruitment would allow time better spent on the training ground implementing new ideas.
Lennon, as Lawwell rightly pointed out when appointing his man as a permanent replacement to Rodgers, has an eye for a player. What he didn’t have was time to cast those eyes around targets without assistance.
Nick Hammond was already behind the curve. A month of the transfer window had passed and it soon became apparent on the grapevine that he’d inherited a department in far more need of an overhaul than previously thought, if not advised.
Indeed the summer signings of Jullien, Bolingoli, Elhamed, Taylor, Frimpong, Afolabi, Connell and O’ Connor, as well as the loan deals for Elyounoussi, Bauer and Forster, all appeared a mix of Hammond as well as the managers Israeli contacts, interwoven with recommendations from Lennon’s assistants John Kennedy and Damien Duff and players identified during Congerton’s tenure .
That’s no criticism of Hammond, it would be unfair to expect the new man to have everything up and running to support the manager in the eight weeks of the transfer window remaining. That such good work should be done showed a good team effort in a trying environment.
Since then Hammond has taken on the role on a full time basis, he has enough time to get to grips with his remit. Identifying targets within budget restraints and getting a network in place to cover Europe and beyond. The new man has only had the challenging January transfer window to stamp his own authority.
It’s fair to assume then that both the signings of Ismaila Soro and Patryk Klimala were from his recruitment team. Neither it must be said have made a dent in the first team yet. Klimala has made fleeting appearances that showed promise while Soro, on paper a backup for Captain Scott Brown has yet to emerge.
Again that doesn’t mean these players are not of sufficient quality, indeed Klimala certainly looked to have reassuring attributes during his limited game time. Neil Lennon much like Martin O’Neill did in his time as manager bides his time with players, ensuring they are up to speed on all facets of what is expected before they are played. The time taken to fully integrate Jullien and Bolingoli certainly points to that.
This summer’s transfer window then would have been the one where Nick Hammond would have been targeting as his opportunity, where he could show his eye for a player could come to the fore. A full pre-season if you will.
Instead Nick Hammond must be cursing his luck. The worldwide pandemic of coronavirus will mean diligent recruitment may well be impossible. With Leagues suspended or matches played behind closed doors as well as extensive travel bans either in place now or likely to appear in the not too distant future, it makes planning the ins and outs a little tricky to say the least. It certainly could result in clubs struggling to identify players they want to sign. Celtic will be no different.
With so few leagues now playing at all, even heading to South America or Australia could be fraught. Would Celtic now risk sending scouts out to recruit with haste, without any guarantee that having got to see their target, they will even be allowed back in to the country? It’s not a risk worth taking.
As such Wyscout and Instat, the digital scouting platforms, could be the only parties benefitting from obstacles facing Hammond and his team. Given Celtic scouts will be looking for in-depth data to support any form of recruitment or approach these platforms may be the only route.
UEFA Euro 2020 and the Tokyo Olympics would have been identified key competitions to be attending an opportunity to see targets outwith the confines of their respective leagues, up against top quality opposition in a pressured environment.
Neither tournament is likely to proceed now. The inability to strategise could stunt progress significantly – no one is in a position to forecast when this pandemic could be under control.
Even talking terms with players you have already identified and carried out due diligence on, could have obvious difficulties. When it comes to negotiation preference for any club has to be face-to-face, at the moment the only option is telephone or video conferencing. Again not a good position to be in.
If market values drop, if broadcasting fees aren’t paid, will Celtic look to reduce this season’s budgets for player recruitment, will Hammond now find he’s having to re-align his options? The truth is we don’t know.
Instead it may be prudent to try and ensure we keep what we have. Celtic are in the fortunate position of having key players under contract. It may be those who we wish to get on new deals such as Ajer and Edouard could see more tempting offers placed in front of them to ensure Celtic are protected. The players themselves may be more open to the security an extended contract offers them, considering transfer deals away from the club will also meet the similar roadblocks that Celtic are bound to encounter.
We may have to shift our budget to ensuring we keep players rather than attract new talent for this season. For those on loan we know what we have and we know what they offer. We can do those deals with Stoke for Bauer or Southampton for Ellyounoussi and Forster. Perhaps again our budget should be pointed in that direction this season and the risk on fresh recruitment put on the back burner.
For many the jury may still be out with regards Nick Hammond’s ability to target and attract the quality of player Celtic require under the financial constraints of his recruitment budget, however given the circumstances he has faced, even prior to the outbreak of coronavirus, it wouldn’t be fair to judge just yet. It may well now be next summer before we can fully pass judgement on Nick Hammond and his recruitment team
Ahead lies some very challenging times for all clubs when it comes to player recruitment. Perhaps a focus on retention may be the tactic to assume for the time being.
Niall J
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