Celtic eye Juventus scout Matteo Tognozzi as new director of football

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The Scottish giants are preparing for an overhaul of their football operations and are on the hunt for a new director

Celtic are considering appointing Juventus chief scout Matteo Tognozzi as director of football.

The Premiership side are looking to overhaul their football operations as they prepare for the departure of long-time chief executive Peter Lawwell.

Former Scottish Rugby chief operating officer Dominic McKay will take Lawwell's place, but the club are looking to find another experienced figure to take over as director of football.

Tognozzi is being monitored as an option, having gained experience in Italy, Germany and Russia over the years.

Tognozzi decided to follow the path set by his father, Stefano, by pursuing a career in football.

His dad worked in a technical role for Luciano Spalletti at Empoli and took Matteo along to matches as a child while he scouted players. He even used to recommend signings to his father. Stefano then followed Spalletti to Zenit in 2007.

He went on to work as a sports director at lower league sides Rosignano and Pontedera before eventually joining up with his father and Spalletti in Russia.

From there he ended up in scouting roles at Bayer Leverkusen and Hamburg before returning to his homeland to join Juventus in 2017.

While Tognozzi may be a top candidate for Celtic, the Glasgow side are also eyeing other options.

The Scottish Sun reported last week that the Scottish giants are also considering offering Manchester City's Fergal Harkin the role.

Harkin joined the Premier League side's scouting department in 2009 and was soon put in charge of the club's loan players the following year.

Celtic have endured a difficult season after years of dominance in the Scottish top-flight.

Despite winning each of the last nine Premiership titles, they have fallen 18 points behind city rivals Rangers, though the Bhoys have a game in hand.

The pressure has been building on manager Neil Lennon after they were knocked out of the Europa League at the group stage this season and slipped up 10 times in the league.

2021-02-13 18:00:03

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