The departure of Ange Postecoglou to Tottenham Hotspur has set the cat amongst the pigeons this week. The Australian has sparked a chain of events that has dominated the daily headlines.
From the rumours of Kyogo possibly becoming a transfer target to John Kennedy and Gavin Strachan joining Postecoglou in London, Celtic are seemingly fighting fires on all fronts at the moment.
But it was the news that John Kennedy wants to leave Celtic that got Johan Mjallby talking. And the former Celtic defender has given his reasons on why he believes the club needs to let him go as well as his views on Kennedy being a possible candidate for the job.
Mjallby said [BBC Sportsound], “I think it’s an interesting discussion. Obviously, John knows the club inside out. He’s been there forever. He was the under-21 coach when I was assistant to Neil Lennon and this was many years ago. And obviously, since then he was the assistant to Brendan Rodgers and then with Neil again.
“He’s got so much experience. He knows the club, he knows the players so he should be asked the question [about the Celtic job] in a way.
“But if he wants to go down south to Tottenham I think the club just have to let him go. You can’t have a guy that’s going to be stopped. Your heart and soul needs to be in it.
“But obviously big praise to John, he has done really, really well and he should be in the running if he wants the [Celtic] job.”
What next for John Kennedy and Celtic?
John Kennedy has been an outstanding servant to Celtic. No one can question that. With over 25 years of service from youth player to coach, the 39-year-old has been integral to our successes this century.
Highly regarded by Brendan Rodgers, Ange Postecoglou and the current Celtic squad, it is clear that he has a bright future in the game. And at one time it was thought he may eventually go on and become the Celtic manager.
And as for Kennedy being asked to take over the club? He spoke about it when he was the interim manager in 2021. But that seems highly unlikely to happen now that we know he wants to join Ange Postecoglou at Spurs. However, reports suggest that Celtic are reluctant to let him go.
But it seems like his Celtic career could be about to come to an end. As Kennedy looks towards the English Premier League, Mjallby is correct. The next Celtic manager will need a backroom team that is 100% focused on helping Celtic retain the treble next season.
In other news, “That’s what Enzo does” – Robert Snodgrass on what Enzo Maresca can bring to Celtic
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