{"id":265315,"date":"2026-10-01T07:10:11","date_gmt":"2026-10-01T07:10:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/01\/bye-bye-oneill-how-celtic-could-hire-their-answer-to-mckenna\/"},"modified":"2026-10-01T07:10:11","modified_gmt":"2026-10-01T07:10:11","slug":"bye-bye-oneill-how-celtic-could-hire-their-answer-to-mckenna","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sports.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/01\/bye-bye-oneill-how-celtic-could-hire-their-answer-to-mckenna\/","title":{"rendered":"Bye-bye O’Neill: How Celtic could hire their answer to McKenna"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Martin O’Neill<\/a> has more than enough credit in the bank at Parkhead, the iconic Celtic<\/a> boss coming to the club’s rescue on two occasions last season.<\/p>\n

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There’s still that nagging feeling that the 74-year-old should well have walked out on a high following that double success, however, with the Bhoys merely kicking the managerial can down the road with this short-term, albeit permanent, appointment.<\/p>\n

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A difficult start to the campaign has since followed, sparking calls for a change in the dugout. Will long-term target Kieran McKenna<\/a> be the next man in the door?<\/p>\n

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Ahead of Wilfried Nancy’s ill-fated Celtic tenure, there were numerous names being mooted for the managerial vacancy in Glasgow, with McKenna among them.<\/p>\n

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There were suggestions at the time that the 40-year-old had grown up as a fan of the club, having not exactly shut those claims down, even if he did remain diplomatic.<\/p>\n

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“Of course [Celtic] is a really big football club. We all have our affinities, I don’t think everyone has to go round and announce what we were and the clubs that we support and follow. But it’s a really big football club.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

He ultimately stayed put at Ipswich Town for the remainder of the season, prior to calling it quits in May, after guiding the Tractor Boys back into the Premier League.<\/p>\n

Football FanCast has since exclusively reported<\/a> that he remains Celtic’s leading managerial target, albeit with the presence of an \u00a38m compensation fee seemingly one key sticking point.<\/p>\n

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McKenna himself is also currently not interested by all accounts, amid his focus on the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United<\/a>, ensuring the Hoops may well come up empty-handed.<\/p>\n

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\n Why Celtic are so keen on McKenna<\/strong>
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A Celtic fan or not, the greater positive regarding McKenna is just what an outstanding coach he is, having done a remarkable job in what was his first managerial post with Ipswich.<\/p>\n

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Previously an assistant to the likes of Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Old Trafford, the up-and-comer was hailed by former United colleague, Nicky Butt, as “one of the best coaches [he’d] ever seen on the grass”.<\/p>\n

A man with a fine reputation, McKenna took the job at Portman Road in December 2021, subsequently guiding the Tractor Boys from League One to the Premier League with back-to-back promotions.<\/p>\n

In 2023\/24, in particular, the football Ipswich played in the Championship was spectacular, almost Ange Postecoglou-esque in his relentless, all-action style.<\/p>\n

Life in the top flight proved far tougher as the club slipped to relegation at the end of 2024\/25, but McKenna bounced back to secure a third promotion last season, subsequently taking a deserved rest after an intense five-year stint in charge.<\/p>\n

He’s young, plays attractive football and has already proven what he can do in the dugout, with it no surprise that he’s captured the imagination.<\/p>\n

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McKenna – Ipswich Record<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

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Stat (*per game)<\/p>\n<\/th>\n

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Record<\/p>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n

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Appointed<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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20\/12\/21<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Days in charge<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1633<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Games<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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222<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Wins<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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106<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Draws<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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60<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Losses<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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56<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Players used<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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83<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Goals scored*<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1.78<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Goals conceded*<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1.23<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

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Points*<\/p>\n<\/td>\n

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1.70<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table><\/div>\n

What will Celtic do if they can’t get him?<\/p>\n

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\n How Celtic could appoint their own McKenna<\/strong>
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It’s still all quiet in terms of O’Neill’s future at Parkhead, although the man himself did suggest that this extended international break was a chance to decide whether he should “wrap it up”, following three successive defeats in three different competitions.<\/p>\n

With the car-crash collapse against LASK still lingering in the background too, an initial bright start to the campaign has swiftly soured, hence why potential replacements for the veteran coach are being mooted.<\/p>\n

Ex-Nottingham Forest boss, Sean Dyche<\/a>, has been floated as one option, while looking a little closer to home, it was reported last week that O’Neill’s assistant, Shaun Maloney, could be in the conversation.<\/p>\n

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As per TEAMtalk, making that internal appointment isn’t currently the preferred pick for the Celtic board, although Maloney is said to be ‘very open’ to the idea of taking the top job.<\/p>\n

That might feel like another uninspiring pick, not least with the Scot already a firm part of this current regime, but the 43-year-old certainly has his merits.<\/p>\n

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Indeed, if Celtic are looking for a youthful, hungry coach to build around for the long-term, like in the mould of McKenna, than Maloney would surely fit the brief in that regard.<\/p>\n

His own managerial stints at Hibernian and Wigan Athletic, where he typically deployed a 4-1-4-1 formation, didn’t exactly go to plan, although like McKenna, he has built up a fine reputation as an assistant coach.<\/p>\n

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Part of O’Neill’s rescue squad last season, the former Scotland international was also part of Roberto Martinez’s coaching staff with Belgium between 2018 and 2021, having been in Celtic’s youth ranks prior to that.<\/p>\n

He’s a real asset on the grass, hailed by Martinez as having an “elite brain”, an “ultra-dedicated coach” who wants to help build a club for the long term.<\/p>\n

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“He has really strong values, he doesn’t just want to manage a team and win games, he wants to build a football club, the philosophy, develop the players and have a long-term vision for recruitment.” Martinez on Maloney.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n

That does feel like what Celtic are in need of right now, and while McKenna feels like the prime, preferred candidate in an ideal world, handing Maloney free rein in the near future wouldn’t be the worst idea, that’s for sure.<\/p>\n