Celtic’s two ‘preferred managerial candidates’ emerge

Guidi believes that beyond the impressive early impact of interim pairing Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney, the club’s preferred long-term candidates remain Bodo/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen and Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna.

McKenna, Guidi suggests, is eager for the opportunity, while Knutsen has indicated he is ready for a new challenge once the Norwegian season concludes next month, although the Champions League continues beyond the expiry of Knutsen’s current contract.

Here’s what Guidi had to say on Go Radio.

“I think Kieran McKenna wants the Celtic job and Knutsen has said recently that he’s now ready to go and try something different and their season finishes next month. So, if it’s not going to be Martin O’Neill, the new manager of Celtic will be Knutsen or McKenna. But Martin O’Neill is in the driving seat and it’s brilliant. It’s been a great appointment. He’s got them going and I have to say I’m absolutely delighted for Martin O’Neill. He’s 73 years of age, to take that on, it required a lot.”

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Both managers bring credentials that understandably attract attention. McKenna’s rapid rise, underlined by back-to-back promotions at Ipswich, marks him as one of the brightest young coaches in the British game. Knutsen, meanwhile, has transformed Bodo/Glimt into a model of cohesion and overachievement, punching well above their weight in Europe.

Yet neither candidate comes without questions. McKenna’s progress is counterbalanced by a relegation on his record and a current spell that finds Ipswich mid-table in the Championship, with five wins from thirteen games. Knutsen benefits enormously from the meticulously aligned structure at Bodo, a system, as we all know, Celtic does not currently mirror. Expecting him to succeed immediately without replicating that environment would require patience, a realistic understanding of the transition involved and significant backing.

This is where Celtic must be honest with themselves. The club has endured significant upheaval on and off the pitch this season, and that instability will not have escaped the attention of managers and agents looking on from the outside.

In that context, the arrival of Martin O’Neill—supported by Shaun Maloney—may have been as fortunate as it has so far proven inspired. O’Neill has injected authority, clarity, and an emotional lift that the club badly needed, and he has provided it without the pressure of long-term expectation. Crucially, he has bought Celtic breathing space.

The early signs of cohesion under O’Neill and Maloney present Celtic with a valuable opportunity to pause rather than rush headlong into another permanent appointment. It is possible that a more enticing managerial market will open up by the summer.

Mark van Bommel, currently prioritising his son’s recovery from a cruciate ligament injury, may be available by then. Roberto Martínez is immersed in Portugal’s World Cup preparations and similarly unlikely to consider fresh opportunities until the tournament ends. Other options, as is always the case in football, will inevitably emerge as seasons conclude, contracts expire, and projects elsewhere run their course. Evidencing a more stable Celtic—both in results and, hopefully, behind-the-scenes operations—will be a more attractive proposition to candidates of that calibre.

There is, therefore, a persuasive argument for Celtic to avoid locking themselves into a decision in the immediate term. Stability on the pitch, time to review internal football structures, space for the board and supporters to reconnect, and an opportunity to rebuild the club’s external reputation all contribute to a scenario in which patience may be the wisest strategy.

A permanent manager arriving in June would have the advantage of a full pre-season to implement ideas, construct a staff team, and begin shaping a squad in a coherent way. Appointing someone mid-season risks another rushed transition and another uneven period of adjustment, something Celtic, the dressing room in particular, can ill afford after a turbulent start to the season.

Celtic’s next managerial appointment cannot be simply a reaction to immediate pressures or the allure of the names currently available. It must fit into a wider vision, supported by proper planning and a structure capable of sustaining the club beyond the next six months.

If O’Neill and Maloney continue to provide stability and momentum, the most strategic decision the club could make might be to wait. Celtic may benefit not from a hurried solution, but from allowing events to unfold, markets to settle, and the right candidate to emerge in the right moment.

We’ve bought ourselves some time, a commodity not often available in football. If managerial options are limited, or indeed in many cases also underwhelming, we have the opportunity to wait for the right manager, not simply accept those the market offers up right now.

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