Managers come and go at Celtic and leave fond memories alongside the odd sour remnant from their time in charge.
Neil Lennon is someone who will be remembered for all of the above; however, his overall contribution to the Bhoys’ success has made him a name synonymous with the club’s recent history.
Few free agent coaches boast a CV of 12 trophies won from their time spent in the dugout, per Transfermarkt.
Of his total, ten of these were won on the slopes of Parkhead, though he is now in search of a new challenge.
Since dismissing Stephen Kenny, the Republic of Ireland national side have been on the lookout for a new boss, which is a role Lennon has been heavily linked to alongside England Under-21 coach Lee Carsley [BBC Sport].
Football Association of Ireland chairman Tony Keohane has confirmed that their search for a new manager is still a ‘work in progress’ following lengthy discussions to try and identify a successful candidate.
Many Celtic fans make the journey over to Parkhead every week from the Emerald Isle and will have a vested interest in who could succeed Kenny following their unfruitful EURO 2024 qualifying campaign.
Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon opens up on job speculation
Former Celtic captain Lennon has made no secret of his desire to take over at the Aviva Stadium, throwing his name into the hat last November [Premier Sports Ireland cited via Irish Times].
The 52-year-old stated at the time: “It is a fabulous job to start with. I have achieved a lot in my career in terms of my ambitions – playing for Celtic, managing Celtic – and managing Ireland would be another ambition of mine.”
Now, the experienced manager has opened up on his job chances in an interview with PLZ Soccer, detailing the intricacies of what has been a ‘stringent’ recruitment process.
Lennon said: “You’ve got to respect the process. They’ve been diligent and stringent in their approach to this, and they’ve been very professional.
“When they’ve decided to make the call, we’ll know. It has been a long process but one that you have to respect.”
Due diligence is nine-tenths of any hiring scenario in football management these days and there is a sense of intrigue over who will be chosen to lead the Boys in Green forward.
From a Celtic point of view, their eventual appointment could prove significant as the new man in charge would be responsible for the likes of Liam Scales, Adam Idah and loanee Mikey Johnston during international duty.
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