Celtic have been handed major blow in Eddie Howe chase

Celtic have been linked with a move for Eddie Howe in order to replace Neil Lennon as manager but those hopes have been handed a major blow if recent reports turn out to be true.

Many fans believe that Howe would be the perfect man to take over at Parkhead. He managed to take Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League and then kept them in the top division of English football for five years. That is an incredible achievement for a club whose stadium can hold only 11,329 people at maximum capacity.

Of course, there have been many wild rumours recently, especially following Lennon’s explosive press conference recently. Some have even claimed that tonight could be his last game in charge with Howe replacing him immediately.

It is unlikely that those are true though. And there The Sun’s recent report naming him as the bookies favourite to join Newcastle United will leave a number of Celtic supporters worried:

"EDDIE HOWE is the leading contender to be appointed Newcastle’s next permanent manager. That’s according to bookmakers Betfair, who’ve installed the former Bournemouth boss as the 7/2 favourite to replace Steve Bruce at St. James’ Park.Howe, 43, has been a free agent since leaving the Vitality Stadium in August and his attacking approach could prove popular on Tyneside. Rafa Benitez is second in the betting market at 4/1.The 63-year-old guided Newcastle to the Championship title and secured a 10th and two 13th-placed finishes before leaving to join Dalian Yifang in July 2019. However, Rafa’s return looks unlikely given his fractured relationship with owner Mike Ashley."

Is Celtic’s chase for Eddie Howe in danger?

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Now, we have to wonder if the club have left it too late once again by refusing to show Lennon the exit door when the performances first started to decline. Clearly, it was fatal in terms of the Hoops’ hopes of securing 10IAR as that horse has already left the barn. And Howe might soon be off the free agent market as well.

We can’t pretend that nobody could have seen it coming though. After all, he was a highly rated manager during his time at Bournemouth who was even linked with the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal. Thus, it is no surprise if Newcastle United do indeed want him

Recent reports have suggested that Howe is indeed interested in the Celtic job. But as a professional manager, he is not going to sit at home and hope that they eventually make a move for him. Newcastle United is a big club as well and if he does end up there, the only people we could possibly blame is our board. Again.