Kieran Maguire: Celtic may have ‘real problem’ after behind-the-scenes Desmond report
Dermot Desmond should stay out of the football side of operations at Celtic.
So says finance guru Kieran Maguire, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the influence of Parkhead’s chief powerbroker.
The Daily Mail (print edition, p114) reported on 4 September that the 71-year-old took a more hands-on role over the summer.
He is claimed to have personally overseen the transition from Peter Lawwell to new chief executive Dom McKay.
It is also reported that the Irish financier was instrumental in the capture of Joe Hart, as well as the failed attempt to appoint Eddie Howe as manager.
But Maguire insists that Desmond should stick to the laissez-faire approach for which he has become renowned.
“He hasn’t had to put his hand into his pocket to financially support the club for many years,” he told Football Insider correspondent Adam Williams.
“He effectively delivered that responsibility to Peter Lawwell, and now Dominic McKay, who has handled the operational side of things.
“While that delivered trophies, there has been a shake-up in Scottish football with the resurgence of Rangers. So you can see his concern.
“But does he know enough about the game on an operational level, in terms of his knowledge of players and so on? I’m not so sure.
“At the same time, he might have been a little bit concerned after the old manager and chief exec had gone.
“That means you have to give the new appointments time to settle in. They might need some guidance and for you to be a sounding board.
“But when a club owner starts getting involved with recruitment, I always get slightly twitchy.
“If it’s a financial decision, it’s often the owner’s money, so I have no issue there.
“But when you think you know more about football than the experts, then you have a real problem.”
In other news, pundit claims Celtic face ‘massive blow’ after key player injury development.