What Dermond Desmond is truly like as Celtic hero unmasks how Parkhead powerbroker makes people think
He is often a silent operator but what is the Celtic major shareholder truly like?
A Celtic hero has pulled back some of the mystery that sometimes comes with major shareholder Dermot Desmond.
Fans don’t often hear from the Irish billionaire and he is often absent from club AGM’s but there’s no doubting of his influence in the corridors of power at Parkhead. He has been instrumental in helping fund a golden era for Celtic who have trophies at will for well over a decade, with a booming player trading model also in place.
Neil Lennon knows all about the major shareholder, having been a player at Celtic and then becoming boss on two occasions. In an interview with Open Goal, the former midfielder shared what Desmond is really like behind the scenes.
What is Dermot Desmond like at Celtic?
Lennon said: “Even meeting Dermot Desmond is fascinating, super intelligent as you can imagine and he is really impressive. He thinks differently and he makes you think differently about things.”
As part of the extended chat, Lennon also revealed some A-lister names he almost brought to Celtic during his stint in charge, David James, Sol Campbell and Jimmy Bullard. He said: "We didn't get any of them! Did I speak to all three? Yeah! I don't know what it was with Sol Campbell. I think he went to Newcastle. We did the whole spiel with Jimmy Bullard. Met him in Portugal, then met him at Loch Lomond. We got him VIP golf, showed him around the stadium. Did the whole spiel.
"He went to the Scottish Open because he loved his golf. He said, 'I've had a brilliant day, blinding day, blinding. I just need to go home and think about it.' I said, 'What's there to think about?' The deal was agreed, and on the Sunday, we went out on the final day of the golf. And his dad rings me. 'Neil, it's Jimmy Senior here. How are you doing?'
The A-lister transfers Celtic almost pulled off
“I said, 'Have we got a deal, Jimmy?' He goes, 'Nah, nah, we're just a little bit short.' And I'm like, 'You're kidding. How much short?' And he said this figure. And I went, 'You're (expletive) kidding me, Jimmy. I'll tell you what to do. I know who you should speak to. Speak to Peter Lawwell about that and see how you get on with that.'
"He was just asking for too much money. And he regrets it. He was on good money, and we were making a huge contribution to the loan deal. And I felt it would have been good for him. He was a good player and he would have brought a bit of personality to the club as well."
Lennon also marvelled over a deal for Virgil Van Dijk completed for Celtic, now a two time Premier League winner with Liverpool. He added: “I don’t know how the club did it. We got him for like £2.2 million and as soon as he walked in the building, you’re like… ‘he’s phenomenal’. Absolutely phenomenal. Gorgeous as well – big handsome f****r. Legs like two tree trunks. Just made well.”