Spurs legend Steve Perryman believes Celtic are snapping up one of the smartest men in football in new recruitment chief Paul Tisdale.
A former director of football at Exeter City, Perryman interviewed Tisdale for the St James Park hotseat and worked by his side for 12 years.
A self-employed football consultant since leaving Stevenage in 2022, the 51-year-old is poised to become Celtic’s new head of recruitment after Mark Lawwell left the post in March.
And ex-England midfielder Perryman claims the Parkhead club have landed an astute judge of a player.
‘Paul is in the top three football people I have met for his intelligence,’ he told Mail Sport.
‘You meet people in football who have come from an education background and you think: “Yeah, but they haven’t played”.
Steve Perryman, above left, with Paul Tisdale during their time at Exeter City
Tisdale cut a fashionable figure on the touchline in his management days
Perryman, left, in action with Tottenham Hotspur during a London derby with Chelsea
‘Then you see people from an education background who look at players and think: “They’re not thinkers, are they”?
‘The hard part is getting the balance between the two, and “Tis” was – and is – a very, very well educated football person.
‘So, in terms of his judgment in situations, such as recruitment, selection, dealing with the board and players, he is excellent.
‘His intelligence saw him through – and his intelligence said to me “he could be chief executive chairman of this club”.
‘He covered every base because he had great character and intelligence.
‘He knows where he fits in, and he concentrates on that. He can wear so many different hats.’
Former Southampton playerTisdale was credited with discovering Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, and Perryman claims the England striker is just one of a number of talented young players who came through during his time as Exeter boss.
He also believes Tisdale’s skill set fits in with the player-trading model at the Parkhead club, who sold Matt O’Riley to Brighton for £25million and brought in Arne Engels on an £11m record deal.
‘He signed well, even when we were dealing with the lower-league market,’ said Perryman.
‘When you are at an Exeter, though – and I think this probably applies to everyone now – you have to have a keen eye and a good judgment on young players.
‘At Exeter, he was signing players from under-13 to first-team level and, if you had anything about you then, you could be in the first team by 17.
‘As he did with Ollie Watkins, as he did with Matt Grimes, who is now captain of Swansea.
‘He found Ethan Ampadu and put him in the team at the age of 15.
‘He just had great judgment. Judgment in the boardroom, judgment in a trial match where you have 30 or 40 players and you only need three to make up your squad.
‘Judgment in football is critical. And “Tis” has the brain to get the best out of whatever job he is doing and just doing things right.
‘He is honest, he is honourable, he is likeable and he just does things right.’
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