The Final Damning Verdict of Mark Lawwell’s Celtic Signings

Mark Lawwell has resigned as Celtic’s Head of Scouting and Recruitment after a number of the signings made under his watch had come under a lot of criticism and scrutiny from both supporters and the media alike.

Lawwell, son of Celtic Chairman Peter Lawwell, was reportedly hand-picked by Ange Postecoglou to come a join the club given the connection the two had built up during their time with the City Football Group, where Lawwell took up the same role of Head of Scouting and Recruitment.

Postecoglou had seen great success with the signings he made, with 90% of his signings being a success, but the success rate began to dry up once Mark Lawwell took the reins in the summer of 2022.

Lawwell’s work at the club was under the microscope over the last two windows, with even the club speaking of their frustrations with the January transfer window business, but how bad actually was the transfers conducted under Mark Lawwell’s watch?

Alexandro Bernabei – Miss
Now apparently on his way out the club, neither Ange Postecoglou or Brendan Rodgers saw the quality in the Argentine full-back that inspired the club to spend £3.6million on him.

Alistair Johnston – Hit
A signing the club had to get right, Johnston has slotted in seamlessly since replacing Josip Juranovic last January.

Oh Hyeon-gyu – Miss
Losing his place as back-up striker to loanee Adam Idah, Oh hasn’t been able to show that much development since signing for Celtic with his opportunities proving to be limited.

Sead Haksabanovic – Miss
After a public falling-out with manager Brendan Rodgers over playing time, the Montenegrin now finds himself in a relegation scrap on loan at English Championship club Stoke City.

Oliver Abildgaard – Miss
A signing that you would be excused for forgetting had happened, Abildgaard was brought in to provide cover for Callum McGregor but saw his loan cut short in January after signing on deadline day in the previous summer.

Aaron Mooy – Hit
The Aussie came in and made the exact impact that the club were looking for, providing a solid, dependable option as the club secured a treble.

Benjamin Siegrist – Miss
The Swiss stopper has been looking for a way out of the club as he currently sits behind Scott Bain in the pecking order, with a move to Aberdeen potentially on the cards.

Yuki Kobayashi – Miss
Kobayashi cut a nervous figure whenever he took to the field for the Hoops, and would have been at pastures now in January had a move to Finland not fallen through at the final hurdle.

Moritz Jenz – Miss
Another loan cut short after just a few months, Jenz couldn’t nail down a starting spot at Parkhead.

Tomoki Iwata – Hit?
The Japanese midfielder provides a solid option when the team needs to defend a lead, and has found himself a spot in the starting eleven over the last few weeks.

Maik Nawrocki – Miss
The most expensive signing of the summer transfer window, Nawrocki was signed to replace Carl Starfelt and has struggled with injury, thus failing to secure a place in the starting eleven.

Luis Palma – Hit
A frustrating player at times, Palma has been one of few quality player brought in under Mark Lawwell’s watch, and the numbers back it up.

Gustaf Lagerbielke – Miss
Another signing that the club have looked to offload a matter of months after signing them, Lagerbielke is a baffling signing who never looked to be fancied by Brendan Rodgers.

Odin Thiago Holm – Miss
Odin Holm does show a lot of promise, but he just isn’t getting the chances he needs at the moment.

Yang Hyun-jun – Hit?
Yang was the club’s form player before a suspension against Hearts at the weekend, and has a lot of the tools to make it at the club, but some fine polishing of his game is needed.

Marco Tilio – Miss
Back home at Melbourne City just a few months after leaving, Tilio’s time at Celtic can only be seen as a miss so far.

Kwon Hyeok-kyu – Miss
The South Korean is finding his feet at St Mirren, but he was firmly out of the picture at Parkhead, failing to make a single competitive appearance.

Nat Phillips – Miss
Brought in as an emergency option at centre-back, Phillips arguably brought more worry to the Celtic support when he lined up in the starting eleven.

Paulo Bernardo – Hit?
The Portuguese has only begun to find his feet at Celtic, and whilst he still has a way to go to justify the club potentially paying a fee for him, he has performed well over the last few months.

Nicolas Kuhn – Miss
Kuhn has only made a handful of appearances since signing from Rapid Wien in Austria, but the early indicators aren’t looking good at all for the winger.

Adam Idah – Hit
In what has been a frustrating few weeks for the club since returning from the winter break, Adam Idah has been one of few bright flashes in this Celtic team.

The Final Verdict: 7 hits, 14 misses

James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie