Mark Lawwell quits as Celtic head of recruitment as chief scout steps down

Mark Lawwell has quit as Celtic’s head of recruitment, with chief scout Joe Dudgeon also leaving the Premiership club.

The transfers chief, son of Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell, is leaving to explore other opportunities, and has been put on garden leave by the club.

Lawwell joined the club in 2022 as head of first team scouting and recruitment, having spent the previous decade at the City Football Group of clubs.

He joined Celtic during Ange Postecoglou’s time as manager and continued after the return of Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: “As part of the club’s recruitment team, Mark and Joe have worked tirelessly to bring success to Celtic, and I would like to wish them both the very best for the future.”

Chief executive, Michael Nicholson, added: “Everyone at Celtic thanks Mark and Joe for their contribution and dedication to the club, and we wish them both every success moving forward.”

While Lawwell’s time in charge of recruitment has included the arrival of Alistair Johnston, Jota, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Aaron Mooy, Celtic supporters have been unhappy with recent recruitment.

That fan feeling was addressed by chairman Peter Lawwell in the club’s recent financial report when he revealed that the club shared “frustration” over the lack of recruitment in the January transfer window.

Lawwell wrote: “The board recognises the inherent inefficiencies of holding excess cash, and, in conjunction with other cash commitments, the importance of investing in strengthening the team to deliver football success.

“The board shares the frustrations of the supporters regarding the less than anticipated activity in the recent transfer window.”

The chairman pointed to the new contracts handed to key players as a positive investment in the squad, but also said that the window had shown a drop in activity elsewhere, citing “a lack of available players” as a possible reason for a decline in transfers, and identifying financial fair play rules as another potential factor.