Celtic appoint Mark Lawwell in "hugely beneficial" addition to Ange Postecoglou's backroom team

Celtic have appointed a new head of first team scouting and recruitment, with a name very familiar to fans of the SPFL Premiership league leaders.

Mark Lawwell has moved to Parkhead from the City Football Group where he worked with Ange Postecoglou over four years in Japan. As well as his past with the manager at Yokohama F.Marinos, the new appointment has existing links to Celtic too – through his father and former club CEO, Peter.

Postecoglou hailed the “beneficial addition” to the “important role” and admitted he had been a driving force in the move from the pair’s previous dealings together.

Lawwell will begin work ahead of the summer transfer window in a bid to strengthen the first team squad largely assembled during Postecoglou’s year at the helm.

“I was very keen for Mark to join the club,” the manager told Celtic’s website. “Clearly I am delighted that he has accepted this important role and that we have been able to bring him to Celtic.

“Mark is someone who I worked closely with throughout my four years at Marinos, through which time we developed great trust and an excellent working relationship. He knows the way I like to work, the way my teams play and the particular player profile which this requires.

“I know he will be a great addition to our team, leading our first-team scouting and recruitment function and delivering on our key objective of identifying and bringing exciting, talented players to the club.”

Postecoglou has admitted he is keen to investigate talent in previously untapped markets and has already seen 17 players – three on-loan – arrive from all over the globe since he himself arrived at Lennoxtown last June.

Celtic have appointed Mark Lawwell as new first team head of scouting and recruitment. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

"We have a great team of people at the club and since joining Celtic I have been hugely impressed by the staff around me who have all worked so hard to deliver success,” the Parkhead boss added. "I have said before that I didn’t want to make changes just for the sake of it, but we always aim to build and develop everything we do and in bringing Mark in I know we have made an appointment which will be hugely beneficial for us moving forward."