It's fair to say Celtic fans have been consumed by the Eddie Howe waiting game in recent times.
The 43-year-old is on the verge of being confirmed eight weeks after he emerged as the frontrunner to usher in a new era at Parkhead.
With speculation over Howe reaching fever pitch it's understandable that the revamped big picture structure drifted out of focus.
Dominic McKay arrived early ahead of taking over from Peter Lawwell as chief executive and a director of football has also been targeted as a key role in the new set-up.
And Record Sport revealed on Thursday night that Fergal Harkin is edging closer to taking the reins with the Hoops after turning down Belgian side SK Lommel.
Record Sport runs the rule over the man who is primed to have a key role in the major Celtic reshape as the deposed Premiership champions look to mount an instant response to Rangers' title romp.
Who is he?
Harkin is a 44-year-old former footballer with Bohemians and Finn Harps who has spent the last 12 years with Manchester City.
The softly-spoken Irishman is highly regarded within British football and spent six years with Nike in three different marketing roles after completing a Masters in business studies at University College Dublin.
After turning heads with the sportswear giants he moved to Manchester where he has climbed the ranks during the Citzens' most successful era in their history.
What are his credentials?
Harkin appears the perfect fit to become a director of football for a leading club.
He boasts an enviable CV and his calling card appears to be his versatility with a real understanding of the beautiful game itself while bringing business sensibilties.
He has scouting experience and has worked as City's football partnerships boss for a decade and also been in pathways boss since 2015 - with a focus on developing the City stars of tomorrow and getting them experience with other clubs.
Managing loan players is big business for one of the biggest teams on the planet and they have a dedicated department that includes s two video analysts, a psychologist, a nutritionist, a physiotherapist and a strength and conditioning coach.
What will his remit be?
It will be certainly wide-ranging. It would be safe to assume that McKay and Harkin will share the load with Lawwell exiting. The former rugby chief focusing on the business side and Harkin taking on the club's football operations in terms of recruitment and structure from the first team all the way through the academy.
Harkin boasts an enviable contacts book and has close ties with a number of clubs and key decision makers due to his job of overseeing up to 40 loan players a season at City.
What has he said?
Harkin keeps a relatively low profile but did reveal in an interview with The 42 he owes a lot to Celtic hero Martin O'Neill who gave him a fresh perspective on the beautiful game when he was a youngster at Leicester City.
He said: “I never played centre mid until I went for my very first game at Leicester.
“Martin O’Neill told me to go in the middle in the first match, and I stayed there ever since because I loved it. I’d never played central midfield before — I always played on the wing.”
How highly is he rated?
Record Sport understands Harkin has caught the eye in dealings with other clubs in recent years. He boasts a strong relationship with with his peers and his calm manner has impressed.
Harkin has been a regular at Transferroom - the marketplace that connects clubs across Europe to talks transfers and discuss sending loan players out to other clubs to gain further experience.
His forward thinking approach appears a perfect fit for where Celtic want to go.
Will he work well with Eddie Howe?
Harkin is capable of adapting to his surroundings and there appears no reason why he can't forge a strong bond with the incoming boss.
If Howe and Harkin if anything in common it appears to be an insatiable love for football. Richard Hughes is also wanted by his former Bournemouth but the trio look capable of working well together.
The Irishman has spent the last 10 years looking at the bigger picture and that will remain part of his remit while also working closely on first team transfers if he makes the move to Glasgow.
