Celtic need a transformation on the field as well as off it. Dom McKay’s sudden departure just a few months into his role as the club’s Chief Executive came as a massive surprise. And there are other key roles in the whole structure at Parkhead that need to be filled as well.
There have been signs though that the club are moving in the right direction in that regard. The focus during the summer was bringing in new signings. And now, it looks like it has shifted towards changing things up behind the scenes.
Jack Nayler had been Celtic’s head of sports science for almost five years before leaving in the summer to join Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. Now, as reported by The Scottish Sun, the Hoops have appointed Anton McElhone as the club’s new head of sports science.
This is certainly a step in the right direction from the club. As reported by The Scotsman back in late July, Ange Postecoglou himself had pointed out the need to bring someone in in that area:
"“People have asked me about bringing my own people in, well, it’s not the coaching area that I think we need that extra support in.“I think the areas we need are particularly in the conditioning area and the sports science area, we need some more people in to help us.”"
Coming into Celtic, McElhone certainly has an impressive background
McElhone certainly has an impressive background coming into the job and could be a solid addition to the backroom staff at Parkhead.
He spent almost a decade working at Tottenham Hotspur as an academy and first-team fitness coach. And he has also tried his hand at management. He was the caretaker manager at Greenock Morton earlier this year.
This certainly looks like a positive appointment on the part of the Hoops. The role needed to be filled and McElhone seems to have the right mix of experience and know how. And it is promising to see the club taking steps in the right direction ever since the arrival of Postecoglou as manager. While results have been mixed till now, they certainly appear to have a plan on and off the pitch.