As far back as 2014 supporters were expressing their concern at the lack of Scottish players in the Celtic squad.
Callum McGregor was about to break into the first team, Kieran Tierney was a year away but the core of the first team squad was short on players either brought through the ranks or signed from other Scottish clubs.
With virtually a free run at the Champions League qualifiers Celtic had got past Legia Warsaw on a technicality but lost out to Maribor with Lawwell’s judgement costing the club around £20m.
From an interview in the Daily Mail in 2014 it was very clear that the Celtic CEO was deciding transfer policy- and probably making the final decision.
Discussing transfers he could easily have passed that issue over as the responsibility of John Park and Ronny Deila, instead an accountant was effecting slating the ability of a future EPL and Champions League winner!
McGowan: People are also asking why Celtic don’t sign Scottish players any more?
Lawwell: We have looked at them. Somebody said Johnny Russell but he isn’t even in Gordon Strachan’s team. Stevie May, we looked at him but no and Andrew Robertson we had before and at £3m you can make your own decision on that.
‘Callum MacGregor and Craig Gordon are in the Scottish pool.
‘So if we stay in this current environment it will depends on how good we are at doing our jobs, ie finding good players, bringing them here and developing them and selling them on.’
In July 2014 Hull City paid £3m to Dundee United for Robertson, three years later Jurgen Klopp signed him for Liverpool.
Lawwell went on to sanction the signing of left-backs such as Boli Bolingoli and Diego Laxalt with his son responsible for the £3.5m signing of Alexandro Bernabei, it is clear where Mark inherited his judgement from.
In the summer of 2018 Aaron Hickey turned down a pro-contract to join Hearts before subsequent moves to Bologna and Brentford, virtually no-one from Hickey’s Celtic age group is still playing full time football.
CLICK HERE for Robertson’s Transfermarkt profile.
Lawwell is fcukin OBSESSED with signing foreigners !