Former Celtic recruitment chief Mark Lawwell has taken up a senior scouting role at Chelsea, where he will help identify talent for manager Xabi Alonso's first-team squad. The 42-year-old joined the Premier League club earlier this month and has already begun settling into his new position at Stamford Bridge.
Return to football after two-year break
Lawwell, the son of former Celtic chief executive and chairman Peter, left Celtic after overseeing the January transfer window of 2024. He resigned after signing off on a £3m deal for German winger Nicolas Kuhn, who left the club 18 months later to join Serie A side Como in a deal worth more than £16m.
He took two years out of the game following that experience but has now returned with a role in England's Premier League.
Recruitment background at Celtic
Lawwell was initially brought into Celtic as part of a shake-up under former manager Ange Postecoglou, having previously worked with the Australian during their time together with the City Football Group.
During his time in Glasgow, he recruited a number of signings including Alistair Johnston, Oh Hyeon-gyu, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, Yang Hyun-jun, Paulo Bernardo and Alexander Bernabei. He came under increasing criticism from sections of the Celtic support during their ongoing dispute with the club's regime.
Working with Alonso at Chelsea
His new role as a senior scout will see him work closely with Alonso as the Spaniard attempts to re-establish Chelsea as one of the powerhouses of the top flight.
