Robbie Keane is reportedly Dermot Desmond’s favoured candidate for the Celtic job after talks on Monday.
Keane is in a two-way battle with Martin O’Neill, with no other candidates being spoken to in Desmond’s process.
Despite his immensely successful record in interim charge this season, O’Neill has been vocal about his reservations over assuming the hotseat longer term.
It appears that the 74-year-old could instead be set to continue in an advisory role with Keane coming in as manager.
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Robbie Keane emerges as Celtic job ‘favourite’
According to the Irish Examiner, the Parkhead principal shareholder has made his choice: Keane is the preferred candidate over O’Neill.
All that now remains is for an agreement to be reached between the parties.
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The appointment of Keane would not be universally well-received; in fact, far from it.
He left his role at Ferencvaros at the end of the season, with the club having missed out on the Hungarian title for the first time in eight years. He would not be coming into the job on a high.
Desmond’s popularity among the Parkhead support is currently at an all-time low, and the Irishman’s pre-held relationship with Keane — doubtless a factor in his candidacy for the role — will turn some fans against him.
His spell managing in Israel is also troubling for many in the support.
Along with Celtic, Keane has also been linked with the managerial vacancies at Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur and Slovan Bratislava.
He delivered the Hungarian league title in 2025 after being hired midway through the season, but this campaign was a different challenge.
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Robbie Keane on managing a ‘bigger club’
Speaking back in April, Keane left the door wide open to a potential switch to Celtic.
He said: “I have ambitions and everyone wants to get to the highest possible level they can.
“I’m very lucky that I’m at a top club in Ferencvaros. Of course, there are other bigger clubs, we all know that.
“Ferencvaros is a top team in Europe and that’s why I went there. I am at a high level in terms of what I am doing and what we achieved in the Europa League.
“I am already at a big club but if I don’t have ambitions to go to the highest level, I might as well stop. If I don’t believe I can get to the top, there’s no point being a manager.
“Don’t always think that, ‘You are happy to stay here’, even though you could stay for 20 years. Always think you can reach even higher, because that drives you on — that makes you a better manager.
“I always have to believe I can go to the very top and win a lot of trophies. If I don’t, I won’t do it.”
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