Former Celtic recruitment chief flop Lee Congerton has claimed he almost brought Serie A scoring sensation Ademola Lookman to Parkhead.
Congerton is now Head of Senior Recruitment at Atalanta and was praised by their manager Gian Piero Gasperini for urging them to sign the Nigerian international from RB Leipzig, after a spell on loan at Leicester City, last summer.
His double against Juventus in his last game took his tally to 13 goals in 19 games and Gasperini said: "Our new director with responsibility for scouting, Lee Congerton, knew Lookman because they were together at Leicester City.
"The club made an important investment in this player and he has worked very well for us."
And Congerton, who was widely criticised for poor recruitment during his two-year spell in Glasgow from 2017, revealed Lookman should be playing with the Hoops.
He said: "I was pleased to hear the manager say that about me, but I don't like taking all the credit, because it's down to everyone at the club.
"I tried to get him to Celtic when I was there.
"Sure, I have known him well, since he was a kid, but he's also the one who chose us and he made the right choice. He's a great lad and deserves all the praise and credit he's getting.
"I hope he continues like this, with goals and assists, with high-level performances for the good of Atalanta".
Our Celtic Digest newsletter brings exclusive content directly to you rather than solely through the website. You can already find us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram but we will also send bespoke opinion pieces and special features directly to your email inbox every evening. Not only will you receive this article from Sean Martin, Tony Haggerty or Aidan Macdonald (or, sometimes, from all three) but you will also get easy access to our best content from the last 24 hours too. It’s a great way to keep up to date with what’s happening at Ange Postecoglou’s Scottish champions. To sign up, simply take five seconds to type in your email here. Simple!
