Lee Congerton: Celtic appoint Welshman as new head of recruitment

Celtic's new head of recruitment will lead the club's domestic and international scouting operation

Celtic have appointed former Chelsea head of scouting Lee Congerton as their new head of recruitment.

Welshman Congerton has previously worked as a coach with Liverpool and the Welsh FA.

He was technical director at Hamburg and, most recently, sporting director at Sunderland.

"It is a huge honour and I can't wait to get started in making my contribution to such a fantastic institution," he told Celtic's website.

"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."

Brendan Rodgers' Celtic are top of the Scottish Premiership and need two more wins to secure the championship, which would be a sixth consecutive title success.

The club say Congerton, who worked with Rodgers when the Northern Irishman coached at Chelsea, will head up recruitment of players and the scouting network, domestically and abroad.

"Player recruitment is such a crucial function of the club and we are delighted to welcome Lee to Celtic to oversee this area," said chief executive Peter Lawwell.

"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."