Harry Redknapp believes that bringing Richard Hughes to Celtic could be Eddie Howe’s most important signing.
For almost two months the former Bournemouth boss has been the hot favourite to take over as Celtic manager but so far there hasn’t been any on the record comment from either party.
Howe’s story is fairly well known with a decade at Bournemouth broken by 18 months with Burnley. Taking a club into the top flight for the first time is quite an achievement but keeping them there for five seasons is something that far bigger clubs can only dream of.
It looks like Howe may have stayed on for one season too many at Bournemouth but after relegation and a year out of the game Celtic would appear to be the perfect job to relaunch his career.
Getting the backroom staff right seems to be delaying the process but speaking to the Daily Record Redknapp gave a glowing account of Hughes, the little known former Scotland midfielder that spent all of his playing days in the south of England.
I signed Richard and Eddie from Bournemouth at the same time when I was managing Portsmouth.
Richard’s knowledge of players is excellent, not just in Britain but across the world. He speaks fluent Italian, he’s a great lad and he’s going to be very important to Eddie as he looks to bring success to Celtic and in the work which needs to be done.
At Celtic they are going to be working at one of the biggest clubs in the world so it’s a great opportunity for them.
With Steven Gerrard doing such a great job at Rangers, it may sound daft but it’s not a bad time to take over at Celtic so Eddie and Richard could be going to Glasgow at the perfect time.
It’s not as though they are going to the club at a time when they’ve just won nine titles and are going for a tenth. They will be going in there on the back of a very poor season and the only way now is back up again.
I have no doubt they will rise to the challenge, Richard is like Eddie in that it’s just football, football, football with them. There’s nothing much other than family and football and then walking the dog.
Eddie relies on him with the recruitment and it’s that bond and trust they have in one another which is so important. Richard’s an interesting character, he has a cosmopolitan side to him and if you talk to him about any player from any part of the world, he seems to know almost everyone.
He will give you chapter and verse on players I don’t know well. It’s that depth of knowledge and study which he puts into recruitment which makes him so valuable. He would be the perfect man at the perfect time for Celtic given the overhaul which will need to start this summer with so many players leaving and the rebuild which is about to take place.
From the moment Eddie met with Celtic owner Dermot Desmond six weeks ago, the work will have been non-stop with regard to looking at next season and players who can do a job.
Richard’s ability to bring in boys who are free agents or out of contract, he can look outside the box and I’ve no doubt he’d deliver the players Celtic need.
Fergal Harkin has been linked with the Sporting Director/ Director of Football role at Celtic but it remains to be seen if the Manchester City loans manager and Hughes can be accommodated in the same set up.