The wait for a decision on Martin O’Neill’s permanent Celtic future goes on.
After securing an unlikely league and Scottish Cup double, the interim boss is widely expected to be offered the role permanently.
But judging from his public reservations, it remains a strong possibility that he turns the role down, creating a crucial vacancy for the club to fill.
Reports currently name Robbie Keane and Craig Bellamy as the frontrunners for the role in the case of O’Neill vacating — but could any of these newly available managers take their fancy?
He has seriously impressed in charge of Wales…
Three wildcard Celtic options who have recently become available
Bruno Genesio
If you’ve followed football on the continent over the last ten years, you may well be familiar with Bruno ‘Pep’ Genesio.
The nickname began as a joke, but was increasingly used endearingly as his reputation grew in French football. Aged 59, he has spent three years in charge of Lyon, two in charge of Rennes and, most recently, two in charge of Lille.
Without achieving anything truly extraordinary, he consistently maintained solid win percentages whilst establishing a reputation for an expressive, attacking style of football.
He is one of just three managers in history to beat Pep Guardiola, Jose Mourinho, Diego Simeone and Carlo Ancelotti. He achieved all of these wins in Europe.
He isn’t known for keeping his opinions to himself, and has a reputation as a fiery character. If entertainment (good or bad) is what we want, he’s the perfect candidate.
Wouter Vrancken
A name on the shortlists of many European clubs this summer is Wouter Vrancken, who has recently confirmed that he will leave Sint-Truidense after an unlikely third-place finish in Belgium.
With a dominant brand of football, he took the side who finished fourth from bottom last season to European qualification, but this wasn’t the first time he made headlines in Belgium.
He was named Belgian Coach of the Year after almost winning the title with KRC Genk in 2023, and guided second-tier KV Mechelen to an unlikely Belgian Cup and promotion in 2019.
He secured top-half finishes in each of the next three years. It’s an impressive CV, but the 47-year-old remains unproven outside of Belgium. He is currently linked with various jobs in England and France.
Sebastian Pocognoli
If Celtic want to fight Tony Bloom with his own weapons, then Sebastian Pocognoli is their best bet. The Belgian played for Brighton as a player and managed Union Saint-Gilloise until last year.
After managing the Belgian under-18s, Pocognoli replaced Alexander Blessin in the Union hotseat and guided them to their first league title in 90 years in his first campaign.
He did this by achieving an O’Neill-esque run of nine wins in ten matches after the end-of-season split, also taking them to qualification in the Champions League, where they would win their opening match away to PSV.
He swapped the job for Monaco a few weeks later, but his time there was less successful. He left the club this week after a seventh-place finish in the French top flight.
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