Neil Lennon stepped down from his role as Celtic manager in February, leaving John Kennedy in interim charge of the team. But the need to bring in a new manager was perhaps evident months before that.
There is no denying the fact that the club endured a very disappointing season, which saw them underwhelm in every domestic competition as well as Europe. Naturally, the Hoops will want to bounce back as soon as possible and challenge for titles next season.
Initially, there was a feeling that John Kennedy could be handed the role on a permanent basis if he could turn things around and guide the team to a strong finish to the campaign. That has not happened though and now, it is expected that a new manager will arrive over the next few months.
The club has been heavily linked with the likes of Eddie Howe recently but no appointment has been made yet. But after Nicolo Schira tweeted out that a €5 million bid for Mario Vuskovic from the Hoops had been rejected by Hajduk Split, Frank McAvennie believes that the club could be talking to a new manager. As reported by Football Insider, he said:
"“It might be that there’s a manager behind the scenes who’s telling them who to go for.“I can’t see Celtic going and buying a player without a manager in place. The situation is strange, why would you buy new players if a new manager might come in and say ‘I don’t want him’?“There’s a chance that they might not be bothered about what the new guy thinks, or someone is telling them to get him.“It would be such a waste of money if a new manager came in and didn’t want him. It wouldn’t be a good start to their Celtic career.“I’ve not heard anything but if that report is true, it means Celtic are talking to a new manager.”"
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Could Celtic be talking to a manager?
Now, this is an interesting theory from McAvennie. But it does make a lot of sense when you think about it.
Why would Celtic make a €5 million bid for a player, who a new manager might come in and decide not to play? That would be a very risky move on the part of the club, especially in the current financial climate and the massive rebuild that they look set to undergo over the course of the next several months.
Thus, could it be possible that they already are very close to appointing the next manager, who they could be consulting regarding potential signings? Who knows?
Of course, there is the possibility that the club viewed Vuskovic as an incredible talent who they could not miss out on, no matter who the next manager ends up being.