After being announced as the Director of Football at Hibs Brian McDermott had a surprise announcement for Celtic fans.
As a player the 62-year-old came through the ranks at Arsenal in the early eighties, making 61 top team appearances and has managed Leeds United and Reading over the last decade.
His Linked In profile includes being a Senior International Scout at Arsenal from September 2016 to July 2020 which is followed by an entry as a Football Consultant.
Discussing his recent past McDermott told The Sun:
I was at Arsenal for a long time, looking at players all over the world. I was at Celtic and I did a lot of video scouting after Covid. I did it quietly — and all the players you see playing for them now, I watched.
There’s some good players that they didn’t get, that they didn’t manage to quite get over the line, as well.
So I know this market really well, I know the country, and I know how it all works in this country as far as scouting is concerned.
Recruitment is so important. I’ve recruited well as a manager, and I’ve recruited not so well. And when you don’t recruit so well, you don’t do so well.
So it’s an important stage of the process we’re in and we’re just trying to add to the good players we already have here.
Nick Hammond was Celtic’s Head of Football Operations from October 2019 but there was never any announcement about a role for McDermott.
In March 2021 Celtic announced Hammond’s departure from the club with that role becoming redundant under Ange Postecoglou who appears to be driving every area of activity at the club.
