The Celtic irony facing Mark Lawwell as 3 theories emerge over timeline of hasty Parkhead departure

Head of first-team recruitment Mark Lawwell's sudden departure from Celtic has caught many punters by surprise.

But Celtic heroes Simon Donnelly and Peter Grant have their own theories over why Peter Lawwell's son has resigned from his post in the midst of a Scottish Premiership title race - with Donnelly conceding there could be a hint of irony in the final run-in amid criticism of his recent recruits. With Brendan Rodgers' side trailing Rangers in the table while the signings from the last two windows struggle to make a major impact scrutiny has ramped up on Lawwell.

The Hoops announced that Lawwell and Celtic’s lead first team scout Joe Dudgeon had been placed on gardening leave - and former Parkhead striker Donnelly reckons that could be to clear the path for a replacement to come in the door early. He also reckons the exit could be to allow the Scottish champions to attempt to move into new transfer markets this summer.

Every Mark Lawwell Celtic signing rated as 21 transfers showcase the legacy of outgoing recruitment chief

But with Yang and Adam Idah hitting form for Celtic - Donnelly reckons that punters could be thanking the outgoing transfer guru by the time the season is over. He told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard: "The timing of it I thought maybe is giving whoever the person is that is coming in a bit of time.

"From a Celtic point of view they will be hoping to go and retain the title - but it’s another big window. When you list the players off it’s not good reading. There has not been a lot of success there.

"The irony is that you are looking at Yang and Idah - I am not saying they are the entire answer - but they have been very positive. I think most fans would have expected a lot more in that transfer