Martin O’Neill has explained why he was spotted at Deepdale watching Preston North End and his comments suggest that he may be at Celtic next season.
O’Neill said he was invited by Peter Risdale, who tried to get him to join Leeds United while in charge of Leicester City, but he was also able to cast an eye over Daniel Iversen, who has been linked with the Hoops.
“I went because we should still be looking at players. Also, I know Preston director Peter Ridsdale from way back when Leeds tried to get me,” he explained. “Someone I think could be good, the new manager might feel different. But at least it’s someone you can put on the board and say, ‘We looked at them’.”
But does that suggest that he could be here beyond the end of this season?
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I want the next manager of Celtic to be…
Could Martin O’Neill move into an upstairs role at Celtic?
The 74-year-old has made it explicitly clear throughout his second stint that he does not want the Celtic job on a full-time basis.
That doesn’t mean he can’t stay though.
Celtic need a director of football and have not had anyone in that sort of position since Paul Tisdale was sacked alongside Wilfried Nancy.
Going to watch another side because of a personal invite is one thing, but openly admitting that he was watching a potential transfer target is telling.
Agree or disagree?
His experience and his knowledge of clubs around the globe, and Celtic in particular, would place him in good stead to move upstairs into a director of football role.
If Celtic chose to appoint a younger, unproven manager, having him around would make him the perfect mentor to learn the trade and cope with the pressure of being in charge of one of football’s biggest clubs.
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