Clubs on alert as former Celtic transfer guru who unearthed Virgil van Dijk and Victor Wanyama eyes new challenge
THE talent-spotting guru who identified Victor Wanyama, Virgil van Dijk and Moussa Dembele for Celtic is seeking a new challenge.
SunSport understands head of recruitment John Park will leave Championship Blackburn Rovers at the end of this month alongside manager and close friend Tony Mowbray.
Park spent nine-and-a-half years at Parkhead after leaving Hibs and worked wonders for the Hoops in the transfer market, bringing in unknown talents in bargain deals and then watching them flourish before being sold for huge figures.
Wanyama, who cost £900,000, van Dijk (£2.6 million), and Dembele (£500,000), were his most dramatic success stories — all later raking in record amounts eventually totalling £50 MILLION
In his time working for Gordon Strachan, Mowbray, Neil Lennon, Ronny Deila and Brendan Rodgers he also shrewdly recruited a host of other players who helped achieve substantial trophy glory for Celtic.
The likes of Tom Rogic, Adam Matthews, Jozo Simunovic, Beram Kayal, Nir Bitton, Ki Sung Yueng, Mikel Lustig and Gary Hooper were all scouted and recruited during his tenure as chief scout and later head of football development.
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Park left the club early into the 2016-17 season with Brendan Rodgers keen to bring in his own man, Lee Congerton, who failed to make an impact before exiting for Leicester City in 2019.
Since then Park’s enhanced his pedigree with successful stints in North America and Europe at Vancouver Whitecaps, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Legia Warsaw while he also had a brief consultancy role at Dundee United.
Park was reunited with Mowbray and Mark Venus at Blackburn last July, having worked closely with them at Celtic and Hibs.
Mowbray decided to leave Ewood Park at the end of the season following club chiefs’ refusal to commit to talks over a contract extension.
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Rovers failed to make the play-offs and are still seeking a new manager with Mowbray set to formally exit when his present deal ends on June 30.
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Park’s deal is also up then and out of loyalty he was reluctant to stay at the club after Mowbray departs.
It’s unlikely he will be short of offers down south or across Europe.
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