It is safe to say that the Eddie Howe to Celtic saga has dragged on for longer than most fans would have liked. But ultimately, Howe is one of the best free agent managers around at the moment and getting a deal done for him would be seen as a major coup on the part of the club.
Howe is very highly rated for the work that he did at Bournemouth over his two stints there. He guided them from the relegation zone of League Two to the Premier League and then was able to keep them in the top flight of English football for five straight seasons. An incredible achievement for any manager, especially in modern football.
At this point of time, it does look like Howe is the favourite for the Parkhead job. In fact, that has been the case for over a month now. And many believe that while an appointment has not been made yet, eventually it will happen.
Murdo MacLeod feels that the manager might have even started picking out players. As reported by the 67 Hail Hail, he told the Celtic Huddle Podcast:
"“I’ve felt with Eddie, if he’s been tied up with Celtic for the last six or seven weeks, then he’s been using his knowledge in England to pick out players who are going to be available to Celtic.“Because obviously, so many people will be saying to the new manager before he even comes to Celtic ‘this one’s not going to be here and this one’s not going to be here. This one’s going, we’ll get money for them but you’ve got to go and get a new centre-back. You’ve got to get a new centre-forward. You’ve got to bring in better quality than we’ve got just now’.“So everybody will be giving the new manager some details on who to get rid of and keep.”"
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Celtic are facing a massive rebuild in the summer
After the disappointing season that the Hoops have gone through, it is clear that they need to make a number of changes moving forward. A number of new players are expected to come in, while a number of others already at the club are expected to be heading for the exit door. Thus, it will be an interesting summer for sure.
And if Howe has decided for a while that he will be taking the Celtic job, then it is very possible that he has been drawing up his targets for the summer transfer window.
There are a number of positions in the squad which need strengthening – centre-back, striker, right wing, central midfield, both full-back positions. Next season there is expected to be a very different looking team on the pitch for the Hoops. But the first change that they need to make is bring in a new manager before signing any players. Hopefully, that man will be Howe or someone of his quality.