Congerton is recruitment chief at Celtic
Celtic have appointed former Chelsea head scout Lee Congerton as their head of recruitment.
Congerton was most recently Sunderland’s sporting director and arrives following the exit of John Park from the Scottish champions.
A Celtic statement read: “Lee will have responsibility for the management of the club’s player recruitment function and our scouting operation, including our international scouting network.”
Congerton worked alongside Brendan Rodgers when the Celtic boss was Chelsea reserve coach.
The Welshman said: “I know Brendan well. I know how he works and the quality he aims for.
“I am really looking forward to working with him again and Peter [Lawwell, Celtic chief executive ] to ensure that we continue to bring the very best to Celtic, and give our fans and players a team they will be proud of.”
Rodgers added: “It is great news that we have been able to bring someone of Lee’s calibre to Celtic. He brings knowledge, experience and excellence to such an important area of our work and I know he will add real value to the club.
“We will always strive to be the best in everything
we do and in Lee, we have brought the best to Celtic.”
The 43-year-old began his coaching career at Wrexham after injury led to him finishing his playing career early while at Crewe Alexandra. He then moved to Liverpool before joining Chelsea in 2005.
He later moved to Germany as Hamburg’s technical director, working alongside former Chelsea colleague Frank Arnesen in 2011.
Congerton joined Sunderland in 2014 but left after 18 months, when his influence waned following the departure of Dick Advocaat and arrival of Sam Allardyce.
Congerton said: “I am delighted to be joining a club of Celtic’s stature. It is a huge honour and I can’t wait to get started in making my contribution to such a fantastic institution.
“In recent years there has been some great work done at the club in the recruitment and development of some high-quality playing talent. I am really looking forward to adding my experience in this area and ensuring that we continue this high level of achievement.”
Park led a scouting department which helped bring in the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Victor Wanyama and Moussa Dembele but left his role as head of football development in October last year.
Celtic chief executive Peter Lawwell said: “Player recruitment is such a crucial function of the club and we are delighted to welcome Lee to Celtic to oversee this area.
“We are always looking to develop further, to drive the club forward and ensure that we continue our success in this area and deliver the best players we can to our supporters.
“Given the importance of this appointment we have gone through a thorough process and taken our time to identify the right person.
“Lee was the outstanding candidate for this position and we are sure he will deliver real impact and benefit to the club.”