Celtic must settle on a new manager after this weekend's Scottish Cup final against Dunfermline, with Martin O'Neill expected to step away from the dugout once the Hampden tie is over. The club have already been through a season of upheaval. Brendan Rodgers suddenly left earlier this year, Dermot Desmond brought O'Neill back, and Wilfried Nancy was appointed before leaving after just eight games.
That has left the celtic manager odds in constant motion, and seven candidates are understood to be in the frame as the summer decision approaches. O'Neill's second spell was always meant to steady the team, not define the next phase, and the cup final now acts as the handover point before Celtic chiefs make the call.
Robbie Keane is one of the names being discussed again. He spent six months on loan in Glasgow from Tottenham in 2010 and was linked with the Celtic hot seat before Nancy's brief tenure. Keane has said he would only be open to leaving Ferencvaros if the move took him to a higher level, while Slovan Bratislava also want to open talks and compete with Celtic. Ivan Kmotrik Jr put it plainly: “Robbie Keane could also be an alternative [for manager]. We will see how his situation develops at Ferencváros. If possible, we would like to meet him.”
Craig Bellamy is also reported to be on the Parkhead shortlist, giving Celtic another former player with a live coaching profile to weigh up. Bellamy scored seven times in 12 appearances during a loan spell in 2005 and has also been linked with Burnley after Scott Parker's departure. He has said he remains committed to trying to lead Wales to Euro 2028 after missing out on the World Cup, which could complicate any move north.
Kjetil Knutsen was another popular choice with Celtic fans after leading Motherwell to fourth in the Premiership and European football, but that option is now off the table after Toulouse moved first. Knutsen said: “Special opportunities come rare in football and you don’t know when they present themselves. So sometimes you have to leave great things behind to create new ones no matter how hard it is.”
Roberto Martinez is among the bookies' favourites to take over when O'Neill leaves in the summer, and his long relationship with Shaun Maloney keeps that name in the conversation. Martinez signed Maloney at Wigan and later brought him in as a coach for Belgium, while Maloney said earlier this season he had already held talks with him about the upcoming World Cup in North America. Martinez has also made clear where his focus sits, saying: “Does my continuity in the national team depend on the World Cup? I don't think so. I've already spoken about this.” He added: “The focus is on the World Cup, our dream is to get there and give everything.”
That leaves Celtic weighing a shortlist shaped as much by outside jobs as by their own need for certainty. Ange Postecoglou, who won five trophies in two seasons in Glasgow before joining Tottenham, has ruled out a return by saying he does not do going back. With O'Neill's temporary spell nearing its end and several alternatives tied up elsewhere, Celtic's next choice looks less like a simple appointment than the first major test of the summer.
