When Peter Lawwell announced his decision to retire at the end of the season, Celtic fans rejoiced. No longer were they going to be lead by a man who some thought were the reason for the club’s downfall.
It’s going to be a sad way for Lawwell’s tenure at Parkhead to end. After all, they have won the last nine Scottish Premiership crowns. However, the way they’ve been left in the dust by the Gers this term is a sight for sore eyes.
Neil Lennon has now resigned too and once next season kicks off, it will be a fresh start for everyone at Celtic.
A new manager is yet to be appointed but Lawwell’s successor will be Dominic McKay, the man who currently acts as the Chief Operating Officer of Scottish Rugby Union.
Ally McCoist has already expressed concerns at his lack of experience when it comes to football, so how can he assure the best of starts to his life at Celtic?
Remarkably, his first big decision could be a new manager. That’s if they haven’t found a man to replace John Kennedy who is currently acting as the boss in the interim.
However, if they have already found a new manager then he’ll have a big decision on shaping the new squad. The Athletic has already predicted a potential 12-man exodus at Celtic and one player who could well leave is Kristoffer Ajer.
The Norwegian has been linked with Tottenham in the past but it’s AC Milan who have shown the most interest of late. With his contract set to expire in 2022, selling him in the summer would be the best way of getting a decent fee.
Though, with Christopher Jullien out for the best part of nine months and their defensive record proving to be a shoddy one, keeping Ajer must be near the top of their agenda. But why is that?
Well, words from John Hartson tell us everything you need to know.
“He’s grabbing the bull by the horns and he’s almost dragging the team through, even to these draws. You see him making these lung-bursting runs forward, he’s marauding with that big stride, he’s challenging, on his backside, making blocks, in the opposition’s penalty area,” he stated.
Hartson continued: “He’s a credit to the rest of the players. They should all look at him and if they’d all adopted the same attitude as Ajer then might have made a better fist of it in terms of holding on to the title.”
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Celtic may have underperformed this season but their indomitable centre-half hasn’t. He’s stepped up when it’s mattered and nothing epitomises that more than his winning penalty in the Scottish Cup final win over Hearts.
Handing him a new deal, therefore, would only be a good thing. Of course, it’s easier said than done, but extending and bettering his current £10k-per-week contract would be an instant way for McKay to become a hit.
He will have a whole host of jobs to undertake when he walks through the door of Parkhead, but addressing Ajer’s future must be near the top of his priorities.