At the moment, it’s still all to play for in the drive to secure another Celtic title win. There's the Glasgow Derby on Sunday for starters. Not to mention a Scottish Cup final to look forward to. The players and Martin O’Neill will be focused on the upcoming games, as will be Celtic fans.
But you can't help having a watchful eye and an occasional thought on what's next. More specifically, who next? There is a new manager appointment to be made, and speculation has been rife for months.
A fellow writer on here recently ranked the top contenders for the role. Key criteria were used to rank the candidates based on their experience and abilities as managers. Standing back from that, there is one key factor that must be applied in the shortlisting and selection process.
One key factor for Celtic managerial appointment
This may be a bit short-sighted. It will rule out some possible candidates, but it is critically important. The next Celtic manager must not have any significant role at the World Cup 2026.
This summer is going to see significant change at the club. Whether we see board changes or not remains to be seen. But there have to be a lot of changes to the squad. Loan players leaving, players out on loan not returning, and other exits from the club are going to happen. Hopefully, alongside several quality players arriving.
Timing-wise, Celtic can't afford to be slow in making changes. They can’t delay lots of signings to the closing days or hours of the transfer window. Apart from needing a thorough preparation for the next domestic season, there will be European qualifiers at some level to play. They have to be ready.
Which in turn means an early appointment of the new manager is essential. And not just a name with a future start date. The new boss has to be actively involved in the transfer decisions; they also have to set the strategy and way of playing early on. New players need time to settle in, and the squad needs to adapt for those who will have left.
A manager who is tied up with World Cup duties just won't have enough time to do that at Celtic after the tournament. Even if they go out of the World Cup at an early stage, preparation time in Glasgow is cut short. The Group stages end on June 27, the Round of 32 ends on July 3, and the Round of 16 on July 7, with the final on July 19.
Celtic haven't got time to wait for their new manager
At best, that might give two or three weeks before the club has to play a qualifying match, potentially in mid to late July. Technically, it’s possible, but we have all seen before what happens if the preparation isn't what it should be. Not to mention the impact of a slow and late transfer window.
If the board wants to get one thing right early on, and perhaps they already have it in hand, it’ll be a swift appointment. And one that avoids those on World Cup duty for the timing reason alone. We could debate the merits of the likes of Steve Clarke or Robert Martinez for the role. But this critical point should mean there is no need for that discussion.
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