Keith Wyness: Celtic senior man has ‘a lot to answer for’ after confirmed news
Dermot Desmond should come under scrutiny for his running of Celtic and not departing chairman Peter Lawwell.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen, Aston Villa, and Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, after Lawwell stepped down as Celtic chairman due to the abuse he had been receiving.
Celtic fans have protested against the board this season, and disrupted the club’s AGM in frustration at the ownership.
Lawwell had been at Celtic for over 20 years, starting as the club’s chief executive before becoming chairman, with Brian Wilson now taking over the role on a temporary basis.
Peter Lawwell ‘acting under the direction’ of Dermot Desmond
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – states that Lawwell once could have joined Arsenal.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness believes recent events have now “shaken” Lawwell.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Now, Peter, look, he’s an operator, he’s very well respected. He’s been around a long time. I’ve got no doubt he has tried his best to bring success to Celtic in a sustainable way.
“And really, was it really his call not to release the purse strings, as the fans would say, or is it really the owners, is it the Desmond’s? And I think Dermot Desmond’s got a lot to answer for himself in terms of the way that the club has been handled. And I think Peter Lawwell may have actually been acting more under his direction and sort of executed the owners’ wishes, which is often what a chairman has to do.
“But as I say, Peter’s well respected in the game. There was talk at one stage about him coming down to run Arsenal. He’s a good operator, but I think this has shaken him. I don’t think he’ll leave Glasgow now.”
Celtic want to reunite with fan favourite
Ahead of the January transfer window, Celtic are interested in re-signing Kyogo Furuhashi from Championship club Birmingham.
Kyogo has yet to score for Birmingham, and also had a difficult spell with Stade Rennais in France before he returned to the UK.
The Japan international had a prolific scoring record at Celtic, and could help bolster their attack in pursuit of Hearts and the Scottish Premiership title.