Roy Keane has been linked with the Celtic managerial job over the past few months. And those rumours have only grown stronger in the past few days, as he is being viewed by many as one of the favourites to arrive at Parkhead.
Of course, this is bound to raise a few eyebrows as well. After all, despite being a very successful player, Keane has not achieved nearly as much as a manager.
Till now, he has managed Sunderland and Ipswich Town, and both of these roles were over a decade ago. Thus, it safe to say that it would be a major risk on the part of the Hoops to hand him the role, especially after coming off of a disappointing campaign and facing a summer rebuild.
Of course, since then Keane has served as the assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland national team, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest. Thus, it is very possible that he could have improved drastically as a manager over the years. And Noel Whelan believes that his contacts are a huge positive as well. While speaking with Football Insider, he said:
"“I’m sure that with his relationships, it will always be more beneficial to have a man like that. He has all the contacts to bring in good under-23s from Manchester United and other clubs he has been at.“It’s always a good selling point with a manager with certain contacts. I’m sure he will delve into players he knows, people that he knows, recommendations from people he trusts.“That’s what it’s about. It’s about trust. He’s going to have to assemble a good side if they’re going to be competitive next year.”"
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Appointing Keane would be a massive risk on the part of Celtic
No matter which way you look at it, appointing Keane as the manager would be a major risk. After all, he has not managed a club in over a decade.
Now, it is very possible that the risk could pay off and he could turn out to be a solid manager. But on the other hand, it could go wrong just as easily and Celtic could find themselves in a tough position.
Yes, his contacts are expected to come in handy and it could see the club bring in some very promising youngsters from Manchester United on loan deals. But then, the same case can be made about someone like Frank Lampard, who has managed at a higher level than Keane and more recently as well.