It is very likely that Celtic will bring in a new manager in the summer, after Neil Lennon stepped down in the middle of a disappointing season leaving John Kennedy in interim charge.
And while we cannot rule out Kennedy getting the job on a permanent basis, that will require performances and results to improve drastically over the next couple of months.
Multiple names have been floated around in the media regarding the role. Eddie Howe, Rafa Benitez, Frank Lampard, Roberto Martinez, Steve Clarke, have all been mentioned at one point or another. Roy Keane and Chris Wilder are two names though which are being linked with the club heavily over the past few days.
Charlie Nicholas does not believe that either of them would be the right option for the job as he feels that the club need to go for someone like Xavi or Xabi Alonso. As reported by the Daily Record, he said in his Express column:
"“Roy Keane’s name has been mentioned over the weekend as being interested in the Celtic manager’s job – again.“Chris Wilder has also surged right up the bookies’ favourites’ list after being axed at struggling English Premier League side Sheffield United.“But I don’t think either fit the bill to be the next Celtic manager.“Celtic must rebuild. If that means finding a new technical director, so be it. But it has to be with a young and exciting manager.“That is why I keep mentioning names such as former Spanish international stars Xavi and Xabi Alonso.“The Hoops need someone fresh to build the team up domestically and add to their European reputation.”"
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Can Celtic get someone like Xavi or Xabi Alonso?
Now, let’s talk about the two managers that Nicholas has named in his column – Xavi and Xabi Alonso. Both enjoyed spectacular playing careers and have moved on to management since then.
Xavi has made quite a mark as a manager already at Al Sadd and guided them to trophies. Naturally, he has been linked with the FC Barcelona job. Thus, it might be very difficult for Celtic to lure him to Parkhead.
Xabi Alonso on the other hand does not have the experience yet to manage at a club of this size. At this point of time, he is managing the Real Sociedad B side in the third division of Spanish football.
Thus, it feels very unlikely that we will see either of them in the Parkhead dugout anytime soon. On the other hand, someone like Chris Wilder is very highly-rated and could do a great job if given the chance.