Celtic’s failing recruitment system has left the City Football Group as Ange Postecoglou fallback system.
Over the last three years some incredible underachievers have been signed up with equally disastrous loan deals adding nothing to the team.
Already this year Hatem Abd Elhamed and Patryk Klimala have been sold after starting a combined total of 10 SPFL matches.
Vakoun Bayo, Marian Shved and Boli Bolingoli spent last season making little impact out on loan while it would be a stretch to spin anything worthwhile about the contributions of Jonjo Kenny, Shane Duffy and Diego Laxalt.
A clear lack of policy has been evident in recruitment with batches of players brought in in similar positions with no real planning evident.
Celtic have taken a number of players on loan from Manchester City down the years, in the Daily Record Keith Jackson reveals how that tie up has extended into the recruitment of managers as well.
The City Group are also thought to have identified Ronny Deila as a potential young manager of interest before the Norwegian ever ended up as a major left field appointment to the manager’s job at Parkhead.
After leaving Celtic, with reputation not exactly enhanced, Deila landed a gig in charge of MLS outfit, New York City – another City Group owned club.
When outgoing chief executive Peter Lawwell – whose own son Mark holds down a senior role in the City Group’s strategic structure – needed to start sourcing a possible replacement for Neil Lennon midway through last season Manchester City’s under 23 coach Enzo Maresca was one of the surprise early frontrunners.
When Howe began the process of flitting his eyelids at the club’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond, Maresca’s name slipped out of the picture. By the time Howe had headed for the hills the Italian had already taken up a post in charge of Parma in Serie B.
All of which meant the name of Postecoglou had been moved up the City’s Group taxi rank
What impact the links with the City Group have on Celtic should become apparent in the coming weeks with Ko Itakura the first player linked with taking the trail previously used by Patrick Roberts, Jason Denayer and John Guidetti.
