Robbie Keane is back on Celtic‘s radar after stepping down from his position at Ferencvaros, leaving the Bhoys with a decision to make between their former player and Martin O’Neill.
Celtic targeting O’Neill alternatives
In an ideal world, O’Neill would be ready to do it all over again, having just won the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup in an excellent interim spell. The reality is that he’s now 74 years old, however, and it remains to be seen whether Celtic can convince him to take on a permanent role.
In the event that O’Neill departs, several names are likely to emerge as candidates. Jens Berthel Askou recently left Motherwell and he could be one to watch, and so too could be another familiar face.
According to Football Insider, Celtic are now targeting Keane following his departure from Ferencvaros. The former striker is a free agent and whilst he’s not a leading contender, he is on the Hoops’ radar this summer.
Operating in a 3-5-2 system, Keane impressed during his spell in Hungary – winning 52 of his 82 games in charge. It was enough to impress Celtic. Whether it’s enough to succeed O’Neill remains to be seen, though.
|
Robbie Keane at Ferencvaros |
|
|---|---|
|
Games |
82 |
|
Wins |
52 |
|
Draws |
14 |
|
Defeats |
16 |
As a long-term option, Keane would certainly calm the storm at Celtic Park after so much change in the last 12 months. And that’s something Parkhead chiefs should be prioritising.
The 45-year-old has also already received the backing of O’Neill, who told reporters back in April: “Robbie has done really fine at Ferencvaros, so why shouldn’t he be? The club should be looking at someone of that calibre. I worked with Robbie when I was the Republic of Ireland manager.”
O’Neill “couldn’t believe” Celtic call
Now that he’s had time to reflect, O’Neill has revealed just how shocked he was to receive the call from Celtic to take charge on an interim basis. He wasn’t alone in that shock, either. It certainly raised plenty of eyebrows around Scottish football. In the end, though, it was the Bhoys who had the last laugh.
O’Neill told reporters: “Never, never, ever did I think that I would be back managing Celtic Football Club. If they were ever going to ask me back, it might have been eight or nine, 10 years ago. But why would they? Because they were winning.
“So to come back, first time round, I couldn’t believe it when Dermot called me. I was really concerned about it. Because, you know, I’m old. And I was worried in case the game, which it has, changed a bit.
“In many aspects it’s changed, other aspects it hasn’t changed at all. I was worried. But that was a little cameo role. And I felt, right, okay, that’s fine. I was told it was either two weeks or two months. And I felt in my mind I could obviously see the end of it.”
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