Celtic dealt major blow as head of scouting agrees Parkhead exit to join EFL club
Recruitment chief set to end his six-year spell with the Hoops in favour of a move to South Wales
Celtic’s chief scout Jay Lefevre is set to end his six-year spell at Parkhead after agreeing a move to English Championship side Swansea City.
Appointed from Premier League giants Arsenal in December 2019 by former Head of Football Operations Nick Hammond, Lefevre has overseen the Parkhead’ club’s interim scouting system and been responsible for producing scout reports on potential transfer targets.
According to The Herald, he will now join ex-Hoops youth coach Darren O’Dea in heading to South Wales.
Lefevre worked under managers Neil Lennon, Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers, with the latter resigned from his role last month after publicly criticising the club’s transfer strategy in recent windows.
He previously filled the role of head of video scouting and analysis at the Gunners and also worked for Brighton and Millwall before moving north of the border.
Senior Celtic officials admit to summer transfer failings
Fans have been extremely frustrated with the club’s recruitment in the summer, staging protests against the board. The champions failed to strengthen in key attacking positions following the high-profile departures of Matt O’Riley, Kyogo Furuhashi and Nicolas Kuhn over the past 18 months.
Before the end of the window, first-choice striker Adam Idah was sold to Swansea for £6 million - around £3m less than what Celtic splashed out to sign him from Norwich City last summer.
That eventually led senior figures to admit failings in the window in their end-of-year financial statement and vowed to make amends.
Chief executive Michael Nicholson stated: “This year, regretfully we did not achieve all of our objectives in the transfer window. We share and understand our supporters’ disappointment and frustration, and we will continue to seek to review and improve our strategy and execution as the market continues to evolve.”
Lefevre’s potential departure comes as Swansea are reportedly set to sack head coach Alan Sheehan, who has managed just four league wins in 15 Championship games.