Celtic’s former Head of Recruitment Nick Hammond is in contention to be Newcastle United’s new Director of Football, according to the Daily Mail. The former Celtic recruitment cog came in for some hefty criticism after a summer that promised so much but delivered so little last year.
Considering the damage that was done last season it was no surprise to see Nick leave as a sort of sacrificial lamb alongside Peter Lawwell ‘stepping down as long-term CEO of the football club. Hammond did have a mixed bag of results when it came to recruitment as he helped unearth Jeremie Frimpomg who is being touted for Real Madrid, but also unfortunately signed off on the deal for Vassilis Barkas.
Now Mailonline report that Newcastle’s new owners have been looking at possible candidates for the club’s Director of Football as they head into a new and promising era. Amanda Staveley was pivotal in the takeover bid by the Saudi consortium that bought out Mike Ashley recently.
Hammond Watches On
It is widely accepted that Staveley has been hands on in the seeking of consultants and general infrastructure people to help lift Newcastle out of the doldrums and back into the big time. The report does mention Hammond’s name amongst a litany of others that have been sounded out and spoken to.
Football is such an unpredictable game and the fact that Nick Hammond could go from overseeing the calamity of our ten-in-a-row bid to being put in charge of the war-chest for Saudi billionaires is quite the story. He will have went from Prince to Pauper and then Rags to Riches in a matter of months.
It’s a funny old game this.
Paul Gillespie
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