Nicky Hayen is a name that many Celtic fans have raised as a desirable managerial candidate.
The Belgian boss was initially in the frame in the Hoops’ managerial search that ended up leading them to Wilfried Nancy.
That appointment has… not gone to plan so far, it’s fair to say. After just four games, many are already calling for him to be sacked.
Celtic fans made their thoughts clear at Tannadice, singing Nancy’s name in a not-so-endearing way after his historically bad start to life in Glasgow.
But any fans optimistic that Hayen could be available any time soon have been dealt a blow by reports in Belgium.
Celtic-linked Nicky Hayen close to new job
Hayen’s European performances while in charge of Club Brugge were impressive – many Celtic fans probably saw him dismantle Russell Martin’s Rangers earlier this season.
But he now looks set to join one of Brugge’s rivals in the Belgian Pro League.
READ MORE: Report from Celtic ‘sources’ gives clarity on Wilfried Nancy exit rumour
According to HLN in Belgium, Hayen is in talks with KRC Genk in Belgium, who have just sacked Thorsten Fink.
It’s been a pretty chaotic season for managers in Belgium. Fink’s sacking meant that every Pro League club has had a managerial change in 2025.
And should Hayen take the Genk hotseat, he would link up with former Celtic striker Hyeon-gyu Oh.
Oh scored at Ibrox earlier this season, and in the summer, came agonisingly close to a €24 million move to Stuttgart, failing a medical at the German giants.
Now, he could well be linking up with Hayen, whose first game would be against his old club Brugge on Boxing Day.
Peter Martin reported on Thursday that Nancy is in talks to leave Celtic, but these claims have been disputed by a number of reports since.
Martin O’Neill is surely waiting in the wings if a change is to be made. We don’t have another external appointment in us, surely…
Would you have taken Nicky Hayen as Celtic manager?
What Nicky Hayen said about Celtic links
Back in October, before he left Brugge, Hayen discussed the rumours linking him to Celtic – and he didn’t close the door on it.
He told Sporza: “I’ve said before that I know I’m on lists, although I don’t know which ones.
“As long as nothing is concrete, I don’t need to know about it. I’m happy here and I want to work hard to win the 20th national title. That’s still my goal.
“Never say never in football, but I’m happy here. As long as you have mutual trust between the club and me, there’s nothing wrong.”
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