Former Eddie Howe player sounds excited by potential Celtic move

By John McGinley

April 16, 2021

Marvin Bartley, a former player and ally of Eddie Howe, sounds excited about the manager’s potential move to Celtic this summer.

Bartley starred under Howe for both Bournemouth and Burnley in his early career. He became a trusted go-to choice in midfield for the potential Celtic boss.

The latest reporting on the Howe situation is that he’s agreed to a deal ‘in principle’ to become the Celtic manager. That was after talks with Dermot Desmond in London. [Scottish Sun]

That was two weeks ago, though recent noises from other prominent journalists on podcasts and radio shows have also promising, as we’ve discussed on 67 Hail Hail over the last couple of days.

Bartley didn’t give anything away about what he’d heard of the Howe situation on BBC Sportsound last night but was enthusiastic about the prospect of Howe arriving in Scottish football.

He told the show: “One thing I would say, if they can get to him and he does want to come, I think he’ll be a perfect match.

“I think, especially with the rebuilding job that needs to be done at Celtic, I don’t see a better manager than Eddie Howe.

“You’re talking about a manager who brings in and improves players. Just look at his track record – Ben Mee, Kieran Trippier, Charlie Austin, Danny Ings, Junior Stanislas, Nathan Ake – just to name a few.

“He’s a fantastic coach, and I think he’d get Celtic back to the way they want to be playing.”

Everyone positive on Eddie Howe to Celtic despite delay

Asked about what the hold up might be on any Howe announcement, Bartley continued: “They might be further along than they’re letting us know. Football clubs aren’t going to come out and say what’s happening. If they have agreed something with Eddie Howe, they might be waiting to announce it at a later date.”

Despite the momentum-halting declaration from Howe’s agent that no agreement was close with any club last week, every public utterance from a journalist or someone Howe knows has been promising recently.

Eddie Howe is still the prime target for Celtic / (Photo by Paul Gilham/Getty Images)

It’s dragging on too long for some people’s tastes. That’s a natural reaction to all the speculation and rumour.

It’ll be fascinating to see if Dominic McKay’s arrival next week hastens the situation, publicly at least.

In other news, James Forrest is facing a ‘very late call’ to be included for Celtic Scottish Cup derby.