Peter Grant leaving Alloa has left Celtic fans speculating

By David Walton

April 21, 2021

Peter Grant and his scheduled Alloa Athletic departure has got some Celtic fans talking.

The former Parkhead man, who played for the club between 1982 and 1997, has today had it confirmed that he’ll be leaving the Wasps this summer.

Interestingly, this coincides with when Celtic could potentially appoint Eddie Howe. Howe’s agent confirmed he won’t be taking a job until the end of the season [Daily Mail], whilst the Scottish Sun has reported in the past that an agreement in principle has been made.

What has piqued supporters’ interest, however, is the fact that Howe and Grant have a previous working relationship. The duo played together with the Cherries between 2000 and 2002 during Sean O’Driscoll’s time in charge. Grant was also O’Driscoll’s assistant at the time.

Granted, there have been no links that suggest Grant is in the frame to be offered a job at Celtic by Howe. Nor has it even been confirmed as of yet whether the former Bournemouth man will even be our next manager.

Could Peter Grant be Eddie Howe’s Celtic connection? Feels like a stretch

Grant has previously gone on record and stated his admiration for Howe. He told the Daily Echo back in 2016 that he believed Howe would one day be a future England manager. Howe also previously hailed the influence Peter Grant had on his career back when he first started out in management back in 2010 [BBC].

Of course, Grant has already worked for Celtic in a coaching capacity in the past. He was one of Tony Mowbray’s first-team coaches during the dismal regime that was in place between 2009 and 2010.

Peter Grant has left Alloa (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Since then, Grant has worked as a first-team coach for Birmingham City, Aston Villa, and Fulham before taking the Alloa managerial gig in 2019. He was also part of the Scotland set-up under Alex McLeish. This term has been a grim one for the former Celtic man unfortunately, with Alloa officially relegated from the Championship to League One.

It feels more likely that his departure is due to that alone. However, some fans believe it could be a sign Howe is starting to build his managerial team for next season.

Here’s a look at the reaction on social media:

https://twitter.com/CelticLisboaa/status/1384845517298053122

In other news, Boli Bolingoli’s four-month injury hell looks to be over.