Fergal Harkin 'well-equipped' for Celtic sporting director job after 'unique' Manchester City role

Rumours have abounded about who the Glasgow giants will bring on board as a director of football if they decide to restructure when Peter Lawwell stands down as chief executive at the end of June after almost 18 years in the position.

However, Irishman Harkin has been repeatedly linked with a move to Scotland following the 2020/21 campaign and Dr Parnell, who has advised Premier League clubs on their recruitment and transfer strategies in the past, can understand why.

“I know Fergal well,” he said. “He manages a role at Manchester City which is unique. It has enabled him to build experience and develop skills that would be ideally suited to a sporting director role. He would be well-equipped (for Celtic).”

Dr Parnell, who is also a Senior Lecturer in Sports Business at the University of Liverpool as well as the Head of Football Research at Dundee United, has been impressed with calibre of some of the names touted for the Celtic sporting director role.

He is adamant the Glasgow giants, who have also been linked with John Collins, Phil Giles, Enzo Maresca, Matteo Tognozzi and David Webb, need to bring in somebody with a proven track record, not an ambitious novice.

“For me, they are looking for an expert,” he said. “Celtic don’t need to take a gamble on somebody who is coming through. They are a massive club and they need a trusted pair of hands. Have they delivered consistently over time? Have they delivered at senior level? They need someone who is low risk and can deliver.”

Dr Parnell also feels Celtc must determine exactly what their sporting director's remit is before he arrves so he complements the existing coaching and recruitment staff they currently have at Lennoxtown and Parkhead. 

“Is it about managing high-profile transfers and finding gems for £2m, £3m, £4m, who they can bring in, develop and then sell on for a profit?" he said.

"Is it about making big signings who can help push the club on and compete at a high level in Europe? Is it about someone who can master player development and pathways? You can potentially generate big income doing that.

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“The answer might not be a sporting director. It might be somebody to look after regulatory issues, it might be for someone to look after operational issues and player care, it could be somebody who comes in who has got an incredible network of agents. You need that to get players in and out.

“You might have the best data analyst doing great working and finding the best players. But the reality is if you haven’t got a relationship with agents you aren’t going to get those deals done. Deals now are done under tight fiscal constraints. You rely on a lot of goodwill to get players in and out of clubs.”

However, Dr Parnell stressed the correct infrastructure must be in place at Celtic in order for the individual they appoint to flourish – and argued that is why Rangers sporting director Ross Wilson has flourished at Ibrox.

“When I speak to a club I don’t say: ‘You need a sporting director’. We sit down, look at how the club is organised, look at the structure, look at who the people involved in decision making are, examine what their skillsets are and where they feel they need more help.

“Everything is connected and everybody works as a collective. When it comes to recruitment it is often not down to one person. A manager, an agent, a sporting director, even a commercial director who has close connections to the football department at another club might be making the decisions. We often just don’t know.

“I have worked with one Premier League club tracking every transfer – looking at where the first bit of information about a player came from right through until the deal was completed. It comes from everywhere; brothers, other sporting directors, other owners. It is really challenging to pin success on one person.

“Celtic aren’t going to get just one man who comes in and deals with it. They aren’t going to get a unicorn. Ross Wilson at Rangers is incredible. But the success they have had isn’t just down to Ross, it is down to the people around him and Steven (manager Gerrard).”