The Parkhead hot seat has been vacant for the past few weeks, since Brendan Rodgers handed in a resignation in the middle of the season, after consistently maintaining that he was going to see out his contract at the very least. Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney were brought in to take interim charge of the team. To be fair to them, the results have been pretty good. The 3-1 loss against FC Midtjylland was a disappointment but the Hoops have won all three domestic games convincingly.
There have been some suggestions that O'Neill should be given the job until the end of the season, before bringing in a permanent manager. That possibility cannot be ruled out completely.
That being said, the speculation about a permanent manager has picked up momentum in recent days and it feels like the club might be starting to push for an appointment now. And it looks like there are three leading candidates for the job.
As reported by Sky Sports, Wilfried Nancy of Columbus Crew is among the names on the shortlist to be the next Celtic manager. It also includes Bodo/Glimt's Kjetil Knutsen and Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna.
Sky Sports confirm three managers Celtic want for vacant job
That is an interesting group of names for sure. Nancy has done a very good job in the MLS but does not have experience at the European level. Will he be able to cope with the pressure that comes with the Celtic job?
Knutsen has done a phenomenal job at Bodo/Glimt. He is a proven winner, both in Norway and at the European level as well.
And finally, McKenna has succeeded in English football, which has similarities with the Scottish game for sure. So, he might be a good stylistic fit for what would be expected at Celtic.