Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen left his role on Monday.
Just weeks after being tipped as a contender to replace Brendan Rodgers at Celtic, the 45-year-old has suddenly become a free agent.
Hayen directly addressed his links to Celtic whilst at the Belgian side, refusing to rule out a switch to Glasgow.
Brugge’s European performance under Hayen made him an appealing option for many Hoops fans. Atalanta, Aston Villa and Monaco are among the scalps they claimed in his 18 months in the role.
So from an outside perspective, it might look like all was well – why has he left so suddenly?
Celtic-linked Nicky Hayen leaves Club Brugge
No need for a five-week appointment process at Brugge – they have instantly replaced Hayen with Gent boss Ivan Leko.
Rather than being a one-man messiah, Hayen was instead one part of a well-oiled machine.
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But he isn’t anymore – and his exit from Brugge is eerily similar to Rodgers’ sudden Celtic departure.
According to Belgian football expert Sacha Tavolieri, Hayen has not been satisfied with the squad at his disposal, which has led to ‘internal tensions’ within the club.
So if he was looking to work with a stronger squad than what he has in Belgium, it’s unlikely that Glasgow was the place for him.
Beginning his managerial career lower down the Belgian pyramid, Hayen managed seven clubs in eight years before making the surprise move to the Cymru Premier in Wales where he coached Haverfordwest County.
Brugge brought him back to Belgium to manage their under-23 side, and when Ronny Deila was sacked, Hayen helped the team return to form, earning the permanent role.
He won the Belgian Pro League title after just months in the job, but was unable to defend it in his first full season, losing out to Union Saint-Gilloise.
He’s probably sick of the sight of Tony Bloom then, further reducing the appeal of a move to Celtic…
Why was Celtic-linked Nicky Hayen unhappy with Club Brugge’s squad?
In all honesty, it’s hard to know. Brugge brought in five players for fees of £5-10 million this summer, and made a mockery of Rangers in the Champions League play-off.
One of them, Portuguese winger Carlos Forbs, had reportedly been of interest to Celtic.
They brought in more than £70 million in transfer fees from players this summer mainly thanks to the sale of Ardon Jashari (another ex-Celtic target) to AC Milan, as well as academy products Maxim De Cyuper and Chemsidine Taibi to the Premier League.
Brugge still managed onto key players Christos Tzolis, Raphael Onyedika an Joel Ordonez, all of whom have been linked with big-money moves away.
Hayen is clearly a demanding man – it’s hard to picture him getting on with this Celtic board.
You have £20m to spend in the January transfer window. How are you spending it?
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