Celtic have been active during the international break and today officially announced Paul Tisdale as their Head of Football Operations.
The 51-year-old arrives with an intriguing reputation owing to ventures in and out of the dugout, alongside carrying the self-styled title of ‘Football Doctor’ due to his unique view of the game.
Coming in as a direct replacement for Mark Lawwell amid his and Joe Dudgeon’s departures earlier in the year, Celtic’s contact with Tisdale is over a year in the making after initially speaking to the former Exeter City manager in July 2023.
Over the summer, the well-connected figure had a part the Bhoys’ recruitment process alongside Brendan Rodgers and chief scout Joe Lefevre.
After Tisdale’s appointment was confirmed by Celtic, he has now spoken out about where his priorities lie at the club.
Paul Tisdale makes his Celtic priorities clear after arrival
Speaking after being installed as Celtic’s Head of Football Operations, Tisdale has given a detailed insight of what he hoped to bring to the table.
He stated [Celtic FC]: “It is a huge honour to accept this new role at Celtic and join a club of such pedigree and stature. I can’t wait to join the team, to begin my work and deliver positive results. Celtic demands and deserves excellence across all areas and I know that that is something the Board and Brendan seek at all times.
In my role I will be doing all I can to further develop our work across talent identification, development and analytics, always with the aim of ensuring high-level support of football performance.
Having knowledge already of Celtic, I know there are so many quality, authentic people at the club all pulling in the same direction and passionate for success.
“I look forward to joining them as we work together to deliver excellence for the club and our supporters.”
Brendan Rodgers excited to work with ‘tremendous’ Paul Tisdale
Earlier in the day, 67 Hail Hail brought supporters Brendan Rodgers’ initial reaction to Tisdale’s appointment at Celtic, as he said: “He knows modern football inside out, he understands what we need as a club, what our team needs to operate at a high level, and how we can develop positively and successfully across a number of functions within the club.
“I have known Paul for some time and have been well aware of his work. I know that he will be a huge asset to Celtic and that his knowledge, talent and tremendous work ethic will be crucial to us as we drive forward across a number of areas, always with the aim of delivering higher performance and more and more success.”
More than anything, the manager needs to be in agreement with any key hires, seeing as it will be his duty to liaise with the new chief in matters involving player recruitment, analytics and development.
If Brendan Rodgers is happy with the hire alongside the club’s hierarchy, supporters will also offer a warm reception as he enters the fold.
Celtic are in a positive position on and off the pitch, which can only be helped by off-field appointments to address key areas.
