Dan Petrescu’s timeframe for a return to football management should make him a viable contender for the Celtic job once again.
It appeared that the Romanian had previously ruled himself out of the gig. After leaving Turkish side Kayserispor, it looked as though Petrescu was taking an extended break. He said that he couldn’t coach “for a while” [Daily Record]. It seemingly put an end to the speculation for now.
However, just days later he was releasing his timeframe for a return to management. And he told Romanian outlet DigiSport that he was looking for a return at the end of the season. Here’s what Petrescu had to say below:
“Even if I’m called by Celtic, I can’t train now. I say that until the summer, 99 percent, I will not be on any team.”
It just so happens that John Kennedy is in the gig for now until the end of the season. Celtic wouldn’t be making an announcement on a new gaffer until the campaign is over.
Dan Petrescu’s return to management could easily be at Celtic Park
Petrescu would snap the hand off for the Celtic job. Or at least that’s the vibe he gives. It had been reported last week by Daily Mail reporter Stephen McGowan that the Romanian had expressed an interest in the job.
And in all seriousness, there’s no way he shouldn’t be a candidate. Not when you look at his achievement of title success combined with his ability to over-achieve at European level as an underdog. That’s something that could be increasingly important next year.
He’s proven he can handle the tag of being title-favourites with Cluj. He’s also proven he can work wonders at domestic level when unfavoured too. Remember, he won titles with Unirea Urziceni and Kuban Krasnodar. He’s been a success in several European countries. On every occasion with a limited budget too.
Considering he’s gone on record as stating that he once rejected the Celtic job [The Times], he wouldn’t be taken to immediately. But it’s a CV that has to be taken seriously if it’s sent in to the Parkhead board.
As much as we talk about the problems at the club just now, Celtic is a massively attractive proposition. The chance to build from the ground-up with a new Chief Executive and Director of Football should be highly-enticing. It really is a case of starting from scratch once again. For someone like Petrescu, that should really get the appetite going.
But for now, we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the coming weeks. There will be plenty of names in the frame the closer we get to the summer.
In other news, Guillem Balague has thrown a fresh name into the Celtic managerial mix.
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