Crystal Palace sources believe that Eddie Howe is Celtic bound despite previous speculation linking him to Selhurst Park, the Daily Record reports.
There was some agitation or anxiety from elements of the Hoops support yesterday. This came after Crystal Palace announced that Roy Hodgson would be leaving the club at the end of the season.
The reason for any panic? Howe has reportedly been on Palace’s managerial shortlist [Daily Mirror]. The prospect of a Premier League club swooping in and taking Celtic’s clear preferred managerial candidate wouldn’t surprise many Hoops fans.
But it seems as if even Palace are resigned to losing him to Parkhead. The Record believes that sources close to The Eagles believe that Howe is on his way to Celtic. Instead, they’re said to be looking at the likes of Frank Lampard, Sean Dyche, and Rafa Benitez respectively.
At the very least, it should end any concerns Celtic fans have about potentially losing Howe to the London club.
Crystal Palace and Eddie Howe simply won’t happen
This comes after Daily Mail journalist Stephen McGowan stated on the Graham Spiers podcast last week that Howe wasn’t interested in the Palace gig. The wall of evidence against Howe going to Palace really is starting to mount up.
Of course, for some, that will be all the more reason to be wary. The last thing supporters can be bothered with this season is getting excited about a managerial appointment only for it not to happen. However, nobody can say that looks like being the case here.
If Celtic wanted anyone other than Howe they would likely be in the door by now. Considering they appear to be giving the new man as much time as he needs before being appointed, the club must be confident he’s coming on board.
There’s absolutely no evidence to suggest that Palace are just going to pop up here and trump us. This latest report on where they stand on the matter only solidifies that fact. They believe Howe is Celtic-bound – that’s brilliant news for us.
But we’re not blind. We know Celtic fans will have their doubts between now and the moment he’s appointed. That’s simply what this season has done to the club’s disconnection with its fanbase. Even from here, Celtic fans still believe the club can find a way to disappoint them.
Hopefully, Bournemouth’s playoff is wrapped up soon and we can press ahead with the announcements. That’s the only thing that will put every single Celtic supporter at ease.
In other news, today is absolutely colossal for these two Celtic players.
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