Andrew Smith of The Scotsman has had the Gordon Strachan’s move to Celtic as Technical Director dismissed by ‘a club source’.
Late on Saturday night Alan Nixon of The Sun broke the story claiming that the former Celtic boss was poised for a senior role similar to the one that he has at Dundee.
Peter Lawwell’s upcoming retirement and the March departure of Nick Hammond has left Celtic short of football know-how such as contracts, contacts and agents to bolster the club’s scouting network.
Writing for The Scotsman this afternoon Smith claimed:
Meanwhile, a club source has dismissed speculation Gordon Strachan could be in line for the technical director position as Celtic’s revamp their football department around new manager Ange Postecoglou. Strachan currently operates in the role for Dundee, while son Gavin’s future as a current coach at the Parkhead club has yet to be clarified.
Should Celtic appoint Gordon Strachan as Technical Director
Yes, a far sighted, enlightened choice
No way, this is wrong in so many ways
Smith is a former Celtic View editor with contacts inside the club. On May 24, shortly before Celtic announced that Eddie Howe wouldn’t be taking on their managerial vacancy, Smith told Scotsman readers:
It is hardly revelatory that in the coming days it can be expected the Englishman will become the 19th man to be appointed permanent manager of the Parkhead side. It is more than a month since it became apparent the white smoke would require Bournemouth’s season to reach its conclusion; which came with their Premier League play-off defeat to Brentford on Saturday.
A number of contractual issues – his desire to take with him two of his former coaches from the south coast club, in Stephen Purches and Simon Weatherstone, but also Bournemouth’s commitments to him personally – account for that. Meanwhile, it is almost two months since it became apparent Howe would move to Glasgow.
However, it is understood the 43-year-old wants the jigsaw pieces to fall quickly into place when he pitches up at Celtic. Not just with the make-up of his backroom staff – the club looking to synergise these arrivals with the recruitment of a sporting director – but also the comprehensive squad overhaul. Howe knows he will arrive with the onus on him to make a host of emblematic signings. He is believed to want to be able to press the button on a trio of transfer deals at the earliest possible opportunity. It is, after all, a mere nine weeks till Celtic face the opening leg of their second round Champions League qualifier.
Four days later Celtic announced that their Howe deal was dead.
It is now merely a month till the first leg tie against Midtjylland, as things stand no new signings have been made with Ange Postecoglou expected at Lennoxtown this week with the issue of his UEFA Pro Coaching licence still to be resolved.