Dermot Desmond makes rare Celtic appearance

Dermot Desmond put in an appearance last night at an event in New York for the Celtic Foundation.

The businessman is the biggest individual shareholder in Celtic but hasn’t appeared at an AGM for more than a decade with his involvement very much from a distance.

Desmond was credited with getting the wheels in motion to bring back Brendan Rodgers to replace Ange Postecoglou, the current Celtic boss was interviewed on stage at last night’s event.

Desmond picture bottom left.

Brought in as an investor in 1995 by Fergus McCann, Desmond upped his stake in the club when McCann disposed of his shareholding but has always preferred to keep an eye on matters from a distance.

Media interviews are also very rare, in September 2020 he told The Athletic that the club had a stronger squad than the one that reached the 2003 UEFA Cup Final in Seville, under Neil Lennon Celtic then went on to lose the SPFL title for the first time in a decade and also fail to reach the semi-finals of either cup competition.

With the departure of Mark Lawwell as Head of Recruitment recently announced supporters are still waiting to see what direction the club will be moving in this summer with Rodgers clearly looking to improve the quality of the squad.

Desmond to The Athletic:

Europe is so important, as a yardstick of our football progression. On a sporting level, I think the Celtic team we have now is as good as at any time in the last 25 years, no doubt, and that’s even without a player like Henrik Larsson. If you asked me if the Celtic team today would beat the one that reached (the 2003 UEFA Cup final in) Seville, I’d say, ‘Yes’.