‘HUGE OFFER’ IS NEEDED TO BUY ANY HOOPS ACE
JOHN KENNEDY says only the double whammy of a massive offer and a player demanding to leave would weaken Celtic’s resolve to retain their prized assets. With Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer and a number of others catching the eye of major clubs, the champions are likely to field serious bids before next season kicks off.
But assistant Kennedy says adding to the current squad, rather than losing top talents, will be Neil Lennon’s priority.
‘We’ll probably look at two or three signings to keep things fresh,’ he revealed. ‘We’ve got a strong squad and we’re really happy about that. But you’re always looking to see what can make us better. ‘Recruitment is always on your mind, although there’s still a lot of uncertainty about football at the moment. When are transfer windows going to open and close?
‘There’s usually about 300 names linked with Celtic every summer.
‘We also want to keep our best players, keep the core of the group. ‘The only thing that would change that is we get a huge offer that demands we consider it — plus a player wanting to go.
‘But we’re certainly not looking to let our best players go.’ Kennedy revealed, meanwhile, that Damien Duff’s recent departure as first-team coach — the former Republic of Ireland winger taking up a position with the Irish FA — was a case of putting family first. ‘He has a young family who had to move back to Ireland; they didn’t settle,’ said Kennedy. ‘Damien was fully committed to Celtic, spent so much time in his role. But, ultimately, he had a young family who needed his support and he had to make a very tough decision.
‘He was gutted. But it wasn’t the FAI taking him back to Ireland, it was his family. Secondary to that, the FAI job became available. ‘It was disappointing to lose him. But we understood. We’ll look to confirm his replacement in the coming weeks.
‘We’ve looked at a number of options. There are guys within the club who could fit the bill, while we’ve also got a lot of connections outwith that who also fit the bill.
‘It’s not a necessity having a Celtic background. But probably an understanding of the club and the job will help. It makes sure you’re not caught by surprise coming in.’