Dermot Desmond must give Celtic boss the authority he was reportedly giving Howe

By David Walton

June 3, 2021

As Dermot Desmond continues the torturous process of appointing the next Celtic boss, it’s vital he has the same authority Eddie Howe was due to have.

The Howe saga already feels long ago even if it only came to an end last week. Celtic’s appointment of the Englishman was going to be a big step forward for the football club. A new era in which the manager appears to have total authority.

Indeed, Desmond provided Howe with three interesting promises, according to the Scottish Sun. The first being that the former Bournemouth manager was set to be given £2m-per-year to turn Celtic’s fortunes around. Every manager’s salary is different and every manager is worth a different amount of money.

It’s not reasonable to think that, should Celtic appoint Ange Postecoglou for example, he would also get the same salary. It doesn’t work like that. Celtic are a business and will look to save money where they can. Given the Greek-Australian tactician is an unknown in Europe, that will drive his salary entitlement down.

However, there are two other promises that Desmond was said to have made to Howe that definitely should be extended to the new boss. One of them being that the manager has full authority over his backroom staff.

Just because it may be Postecoglou and not Howe, that shouldn’t mean he can’t pick his backroom team. In the past, Celtic have enforced certain personnel into managers’ backroom staff. Ronny Deila, for example, was given John Collins and John Kennedy respectively. That was despite having no prior knowledge of or relationship with them.

Dermot Desmond needs to back the new Celtic boss to the maximum

If we’re backing Postecoglou then we’re backing him. Let him get the men he wants in the door to work alongside him. It should be down to him and him alone as to whether he feels he needs a “Celtic man” alongside him. I personally think the notion that it’s a must is way over the top.

But perhaps most importantly, the Sun claimed that Desmond promised Howe “substantial transfer resources”. Now, there is the possibility that the new Celtic manager will shop in different markets compared to Howe. That could lead to a potentially cheaper rebuild for the football club.

However, that shouldn’t stop Desmond from throwing everything he was going to give Howe in the direction of the new manager. It sends out completely the wrong message if the Celtic board’s first thought is that the new man can save us a few quid.

Dermot Desmond must go all in on new Celtic boss / (Photo by Sammy Turner/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Our rebuild is too big and too expensive for that train of thought. If we have the resources there, you choose a manager that you trust with those same resources. Not someone you think can do a decent enough job with a little less.

If the new boss can’t pick his backroom staff or sees his transfer budget shrink, it’s a bad start. We need total commitment from the boardroom this summer or our rebuild will fall flat on our face.

Just because our new manager isn’t going to be Howe, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t invest in him any less.

In other news, Celtic’s Thursday morning statement has seen a mixed response from supporters.