Ange Postecoglou never stops but it’s time for Celtic to start another manager hunt after the Aussie’s switch to Spurs.
The Hoops are on the lookout for their fifth boss in the last nine years but there should be no shortage of willing candidates eager to take over at Scotland’s Treble kings. However, the Hoops board won’t get away with plucking out any old gaffer from the pile of CVs pouring through the Parkhead letter box.
The Celtic faithful will be looking for someone with a track record of success and a philosophy to excite. Recruiting someone with the stature and gravitas to satisfy those demands isn’t always easy, as they found with Eddie Howe two summers ago. But Postecoglou proved, sometimes gambling on a lesser known candidate can offer rich reward.
So who will Celtic chiefs go for this time? Here Record Sport takes a look at the leading contenders.
Graham Potter
AGE: 48
CLUBS MANAGED: Leeds Carnegie, Ostersund, Swansea, Brighton, Chelsea
TROPHIES: One Swedish Cup, two Swedish lower league titles
Celtic enjoyed major success after providing Brendan Rodgers - a former Brighton boss who had tasted life with one of England’s top sides - with a chance to repair his image, so might they try again with Potter?
The 48-year-old made it to the Premier League the hard way after starting out with Leeds Carnegie in the ninth tier of England’s pyramid but his willingness to engage unconventional methods saw him climb quickly to the top of the game.
A move to Swedish side Ostersund was an unlikely springboard as he led the part-time outfit from the Scandinavian nation’s fourth division into Europe, where they went onto stun Arsenal at the Emirates.
That caught the attention of clubs in England and after impressive work with Swansea and Brighton, he was offered the Chelsea job last September. However, he was on the back foot from the start as the London side struggled to adapt to the end of Roman Abramovich era and was sacked seven months later after racking up the lowest ever points-per-game return of any Blues boss.
Kjetil Knutsen
AGE: 54
CLUBS MANAGED: Hovding, Fyllingen/Fyllingsdalen, Asane, Bodo/Glimt
TROPHIES: Two Norwegian league titles
Once tipped as Gio van Bronckhorst’s Rangers replacement, now there are a growing number of Celtic fans who believe their club should be checking out the Bodo/Glimt boss. Led the club to their first ever Norwegian title in 2020 before repeating the trick 12 months later.
Created more history in 2021 when his side became the first team ever to hit a Jose Mourinho team for six as they stunned the Portuguese boss’ Roma team. Like Postecoglou, Knutsen adheres to a high-octane system that demands all-out attack and relentless pressing.
Saw results tail off last season as a string of his top stars were poached by foreign clubs but he had rebuilt them over the winter and 10 games into the Norwegian season has steered Bodo eight points clear at the top and on course for another title.
Brendan Rodgers
AGE: 50
CLUBS MANAGED: Watford, Reading, Swansea, Liverpool, Celtic and Leicester.
TROPHIES: Football League playoff winners, two Scottish league titles, two Scottish Cups, three Scottish League Cups, FA Cup
Brendan Rodgers may need a lot of persuading to join Celtic but it doesn’t seem as if so many fans would now need convincing. Branded a Judas for leaving mid-season in 2018 for Leicester, legions of Hoops supporters are coming round to the idea of the Irishman returning to Glasgow’s East End. One look at his trophy haul may be a big reason why.
He enjoyed so much success at the King Power, too, despite ultimately being sacked. Down in the Premier League, that is so often the result. His Leicester won the FA Cup for the first time in their history and qualified for Europe in successive seasons.
You know you’re going to get a well-coached team under Rodgers, even if the recruitment was often questioned at Celtic. But given the Celtic hierarchy would need convincing – as well as the man himself – a Rodgers return seems unlikely at this stage.
Enzo Maresca
AGE: 43
CLUBS MANAGED: Man City U23s, Parma
TROPHIES: One Premier League 2 title
Celtic’s strong connections with the City Group have seen Pep Guardiola’s current Etihad No.2 leap into the mix, as revealed by Record Sport on Monday night. Maresca was strongly linked with the Parkhead vacancy two years ago when Howe pulled out of the race, only for the Hoops hierarchy to ultimately plump for Postecoglou. Now he’s back in contention having cut his teeth coaching at clubs across the continent.
The Italian midfielder racked up stints with clubs in England, Italy, Spain and Greece during his playing days - where he worked under Juande Ramos, Marcello Lippi, Zico and Carlo Ancelotti - and has continued to travel since hanging up his boots.
He had stints on the backroom staff at Ascoli, Sevilla and West Ham before taking up the head coach role with Manchester City’s Under-23s. His success there, leading City to a second string league title, saw him given a chance with Serie B outfit Parma but he lasted just 14 games - winning only four - before he was axed in November 2021.
While he lacks top-team experience, as one of Guardiola’s key lieutenants his commitment to a possession-based brand of football would make for a smooth transition from the Postecoglou playbook.
Jesse Marsch
AGE: 49
CLUBS MANAGED: Montreal Impact, NY Red Bulls, RB Salzburg, RB Leipzig, Leeds
TROPHIES: Two Austrian Bundesligas, Two Austrian Cups
Another who was strongly linked with the Parkhead post before Postecoglou got the job last time round.
A former MLS coach of the year, his work with New York Red Bulls opened up a move to Europe, with the Princeton University graduate going on to work with the energy drink giant’s franchises in Salzburg and Leipzig.
After claiming four trophies in two years in Austria, he didn’t last long in Germany but his reputation for football played at a lightning-quick tempo saw him given the chance to replace Marcello Bielsa at Leeds. While he kept the Lilly Whites up last year, his lack of strong leadership was blamed for the nightmare start that eventually paved the way for this term’s relegation crash. As revealed yesterday by Record Sport, Celtic have been alerted to red flags over the American.
Kevin Muscat
AGE: 49
CLUBS MANAGED: Melbourne Victory, Sint-Truiden, Yokohama F. Marinos
TROPHIES: Two A-League titles, one Australian Cup, one J-League title
Postecoglou’s Aussie compatriot has succeeded the departed Parkhead boss in his last two jobs, so might he make it a third in Glasgow?
Well, there’s one potential snag given that Muscat once worked for the Hoops’ big rivals on the opposite side of the city. Muscat lifted a Treble during his one-year stay with Alex McLeish’s Rangers but the former Wolves and Millwall defender’s hardman image and wild temperament was suggested as the reason why he never got the chance to line-up in Old Firm action.
Having worked as Postecoglou’s right-hand man at both Melbourne Victory and Yokohama F. Marinos, he was given the chance to build on the foundations laid by his close friend when he was twice appointed his replacement, claiming title glory in both Australia and Japan. Has coaching experience in Europe after a six month stint in charge of Belgian outfit Sint-Truiden.
Michel
AGE: 47
CLUBS MANAGED: Rayo Vallecano, Huesca, Girona
TROPHIES: Two Spanish second tier titles
Another boss whose City Group links mean he’s being touted as a serious contender for the Parkhead job. A legend as a player and a gaffer at boyhood club Rayo Vallecano, the Madrid-born boss is one of Spain’s most hotly-tipped coaches.
Having led both Vallecano and Huesca to second tier titles in Spain, he made it a hat-trick of successful promotion pushes when he also guided Girona to La Liga last summer.
The new three-year deal he was recently handed after guiding the Catalonian side to the brink of a European slot could put a spanner in the works for Celtic. But the Hoops will certainly be impressed by his thrilling style of play, which has seen Girona score more goals than any other side barring the big three of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid this term.
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