‘Absolutely huge’: Celtic head of recruitment issues exciting update

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Celtic head of recruitment Gary Penrice has provided an exciting update on how he’s getting on with finding prospective new talents to join the Hoops ranks, in conversation with the Bristol Post.

Penrice is a fairly new arrival at Celtic, joining in December initially on a consultancy basis just two months after Nick Hammond – his former Bristol Rovers teammate – became head of football operations at Parkhead.

The 56-year-old has close to 14 years of scouting experience and will be hoping to play his part in unearthing more gems to come through the Celtic ranks and perhaps become established stars in the green and white hoops.

With most football across the world suspended due to the global health crisis, there may not be any games to watch, but Penrice is nonetheless working hard from home – 350-odd miles away from Glasgow, in the Cotswolds – and is keeping tabs on plenty of players.

When asked by the Bristol Post how much his work has been affected due to current events, Penrice replied: “Not that much to be honest, as there are other ways of doing things now.  Obviously I can’t travel to see games, and there aren’t any anyway! But I can keep in contact with people.

“It’s actually been busy, manic, catching up with all stuff, and tapping into a huge global market. Celtic’s market is absolutely huge. It’s global. I am currently watching 240 players.”

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Although there may not be any games taking place right now in most of the world, that’s not to say clubs’ scouting departments can’t do their research based on how players have been faring in the past few months or years, and it’s great to hear Penrice talk about just how busy he’s been and how many players he’s keeping tabs on.

Celtic have dominated Scottish football for the last few years, but they can’t rest on their laurels, particularly given how their city rivals are intent on returning to the top, so it’s important for the Bhoys to be constantly keeping their eyes out for players who look worthy of wearing the green and white stripes, in the short term and in the long term.