World Cup-winning coach Joachim Löw emerges as unlikely potential Celtic candidate

By Euan Davidson

March 13, 2021

Joachim Löw, the German World Cup-winning manager, is being touted as a potential Celtic boss.

Löw, who has managed Die Mannschaft since 2006, is an outside bet, according to Glasgow Times. The outlet lists Chris Wilder as the odds-on favourite, but Löw’s name sticks out like a sore thumb among potential candidates.

Heralded for returning Germany to the top-tier of international sides, Löw’s impact on European football has been extraordinary. His 2014 side stormed to a World Cup win. Their swashbuckling, high-intensity style blew away the Spanish tiki-taka that had been so successful in years prior.

He also inflicted an astonishing 7-1 defeat on, hitherto, a very decent Brazil side [BBC].

Amongst his accolades, alongside the World Cup, Löw has a Confederations Cup, a DFB-Pokal trophy and an Austrian title. His club career in management is altogether spottier, but he has won trophies. The most high-profile job he’s had outside of Germany was a year-long stint at Turkish giants Fenerbahçe.

At 61, Löw has this week announced his intentions to step down from the Germany job after Euro 2020 (now delayed). He told the DFB’s website:

“For me personally this summer is the right moment to pass the baton to another coach. The change that we have introduced is absolutely the right move.

“I know that our players still lack experience, but I know that they have unbelievable potential and quality.

“I am absolutely convinced that the young generation of players will reach their full potential in perhaps 2024 with the tournament in our own country.”

A big, big name. / (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)

Joachim Löw is an absolutely blockbuster choice for Celtic

It seems unlikely, certainly. There’s a feeling that Löw could walk into any top European side and catch fire immediately. The guy’s won a World Cup, after all.

With the German looking at his options, though, the chance to return Celtic to domestic dominance, and a threat on the European stage, could be alluring. Certainly, the club have shown ambition and financial clout before, with the signing of Brendan Rodgers.

Trading the glamour of international football for the Scottish Premiership might just be a hard sell. Certainly, he’d be well-compensated, but the 61-year-old might have more attractive offers. But it’s oddly amusing to see his name alongside the likes of Roy Keane and Paul Lambert.

Simply put, we don’t have any indication as to which way Celtic want to play this. If the Bhoys shoot for the moon with someone like Löw or Rafa Benitez, then it’d be incredibly exciting. It also runs the risk of being all the more disappointing if someone like Roy Keane is brought in.

So, who knows? Stranger things have happened.

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