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FINDING the stars of next year’s World Cup today will be the task of Celtic’s new Head of International Scouting, Ray Clarke, who became Gordon Strachan’s latest addition to the backroom staff this season.
The former Tottenham Hotspur, Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax striker arrived at Celtic Park yesterday from Newcastle United to take over the club’s scouting operations overseas and will lead a complete revamp of Celtic’s scouting network.
Clarke’s expertise and the new international scouting system that he will put in place will go hand in hand with Celtic’s current domestic set-up, spearheaded by Chief Scout Tom O’Neill.
Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, the club’s Chief Executive Peter Lawwell commented: “I’d like to welcome Ray to Celtic, he comes with the highest pedigree and is very well regarded in the football world.
“He joins us from Newcastle where he was the Chief Scout and we at Celtic see this as a strategic move, looking to the future.
“We all realise that our scouting network, in the modern game, has to be improved and Ray will be tasked with putting the structures in place, firstly in the UK and then in Europe, particularly concentrating on Eastern Europe and then beyond in the coming years. It is a task he is relishing and we are delighted to have him.
“We see huge benefit in our Academy and recognise that our current training facilities don’t match the quality of the Academy at the moment and that is something that we hope to make an announcement on very soon.
“We hope to see this scouting appointment dovetailing into that, bringing on your own players, growing your own and then we’ll have a quality system that identifies quality players throughout Europe and the world.
“It’s going to be difficult to see the days return here when we can pay £6/7 million for a player. We are aiming to find the stars of next year’s World Cup today.
“We are delighted to have Ray, it is a key appointment for us and we are absolutely sure that he will do a great job for us.”
Clarke has signed a rolling contract with the club and has previously worked with Gordon Strachan at Coventry City and Southampton.
Combined with the existing network which covers Scotland and Ireland extensively, the international scouts will provide the club with unrivalled coverage as it attempts bring in new talent at every level.
Explained Lawwell: “We have some very, very good people there already and the scouting network doesn’t just look for players, it also scouts opposition and such like.
“So I don’t think on anyway that this is a reflection on Tom O’Neill or the people who have been here before. It’s just that the game evolves and you need something different at the right time. Tom O’Neill, who is the Chief Scout, will remain and then it’s over to Ray and how he manages that.”
The Chief Executive added: “The board recognised and Martin recognised when he was here as well, the way the game was developing and the way our budgets were developing that this was something we would have to put in place.
“Gordon obviously has had previous experience of that, quickly accepted that and has driven it forward since he arrived here.”
The former Tottenham Hotspur, Sparta Rotterdam and Ajax striker arrived at Celtic Park yesterday from Newcastle United to take over the club’s scouting operations overseas and will lead a complete revamp of Celtic’s scouting network.
Clarke’s expertise and the new international scouting system that he will put in place will go hand in hand with Celtic’s current domestic set-up, spearheaded by Chief Scout Tom O’Neill.
Speaking at yesterday’s press conference, the club’s Chief Executive Peter Lawwell commented: “I’d like to welcome Ray to Celtic, he comes with the highest pedigree and is very well regarded in the football world.
“He joins us from Newcastle where he was the Chief Scout and we at Celtic see this as a strategic move, looking to the future.
“We all realise that our scouting network, in the modern game, has to be improved and Ray will be tasked with putting the structures in place, firstly in the UK and then in Europe, particularly concentrating on Eastern Europe and then beyond in the coming years. It is a task he is relishing and we are delighted to have him.
“We see huge benefit in our Academy and recognise that our current training facilities don’t match the quality of the Academy at the moment and that is something that we hope to make an announcement on very soon.
“We hope to see this scouting appointment dovetailing into that, bringing on your own players, growing your own and then we’ll have a quality system that identifies quality players throughout Europe and the world.
“It’s going to be difficult to see the days return here when we can pay £6/7 million for a player. We are aiming to find the stars of next year’s World Cup today.
“We are delighted to have Ray, it is a key appointment for us and we are absolutely sure that he will do a great job for us.”
Clarke has signed a rolling contract with the club and has previously worked with Gordon Strachan at Coventry City and Southampton.
Combined with the existing network which covers Scotland and Ireland extensively, the international scouts will provide the club with unrivalled coverage as it attempts bring in new talent at every level.
Explained Lawwell: “We have some very, very good people there already and the scouting network doesn’t just look for players, it also scouts opposition and such like.
“So I don’t think on anyway that this is a reflection on Tom O’Neill or the people who have been here before. It’s just that the game evolves and you need something different at the right time. Tom O’Neill, who is the Chief Scout, will remain and then it’s over to Ray and how he manages that.”
The Chief Executive added: “The board recognised and Martin recognised when he was here as well, the way the game was developing and the way our budgets were developing that this was something we would have to put in place.
“Gordon obviously has had previous experience of that, quickly accepted that and has driven it forward since he arrived here.”
Celticfc.net
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