Celtic’s manager search has gone quiet over the last few days.
The club released a statement on Monday, confirming that Martin O’Neill and his coaching staff would remain in place until a permanent boss was appointed.
The statement didn’t contradict the widespread reports around advanced talks with Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy.
But is there about to be another twist in the tale?
Efrain Juarez was an unlikely name to appear in some reports, and the former Celt has now confirmed interest from Glasgow in a press conference in his native Mexico.
Efrain Juarez confirms Celtic manager interest
The former midfielder and full-back began his coaching career working with ex-Hoops boss Ronny Deila in Norway, in a bizarre coincidence.
He has since delivered silverware in charge of Colombian giants Atletico Nacional, before moving on to the more lucrative Liga MX, where he is in charge of Pumas.
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Just as was the case with Nancy at Columbus, Juarez’s side entered the play-offs on Thursday with a single-leg tie against Pachuca. Their season ended with a 3-1 defeat.
Speaking to the Mexican media after the game, Juarez made the honest admission that there is interest from Celtic in his services.
“Obviously, there has been interest from other clubs. In every sense, that, for me, is not distracting.
“I think we know perfectly well that the club is aware of the situation, because I also played there. And it’s not easy for a young Mexican coach to be involved in that type of club.
“For me, they obviously see and think that maybe we’re doing a good job. In that respect, I’m calm.”
He is certainly leaving the door open to a move, but is completely aware that the job at Celtic Park isn’t easy.
He was signed by Neil Lennon as a player in 2010 and made 21 appearances for the Celts.
Could Efrain Juarez really get the Celtic job?
It’s fair to say that the Parkhead faithful would be fairly stunned if anything came of this.
Juarez is 37 years of age, and has just taken charge of just 60 games in his career. In fairness, he has delivered two trophies in that time – if he can keep up that rate of trophies-per-game, we would all be happy.
But this would be an almighty gamble, and an unlikely move for a man who was widely seen as a flop from his playing days.
For him to beat O’Neill and Nancy to the post would certainly be unlikely.
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