Robbie Keane could have an advantage in the race to become the new Celtic manager thanks to his previous connections to Dermot Desmond.
Keane has applied for the Celtic job after the surprise resignation of Brendan Rodgers earlier in the week.
Kieran McKenna is also admired by the Hoops and has a little-known release clause in his contract that may help bring him to Celtic Park.
As it stands, there is no clear favourite, but Keane could move ahead of the pack as someone that Desmond knows well.
Robbie Keane was brought to Celtic personally by Dermot Desmond
We know the Celtic owner likes his tried and tested, and his relationship with the Republic of Ireland’s all-time goalscorer cannot be understated.
During his brief loan spell from Tottenham Hotspur in 2010, Keane became an instant hit at Parkhead, scoring nine times in 16 games.
Reports at the time claimed that the forward was earning £70,000-a-week. That was obviously too much for Celtic to afford, which led to Desmond digging into his own pocket to make the move happen.
Celtic claimed that Robbie Keane wasn’t a PR signing
His arrival coincided at a time where supporters were left feeling disgruntled by the underperforming team, but in the statement to announce his signing, they said that it was purely because he was a Celtic fan.
Peter Lawwell said: “We’ve known for a while that Robbie is a Celtic supporter and he has a great connection with the club and our supporters.
“Up until today, things were not looking very great at all. Things changed this afternoon and we were able to put a deal in very quickly. His situation at Spurs was made, I think, pretty plain to him. He always knew we were very, very keen to get him.
“We’re in a transitional period at the moment. Tony probably wasn’t blessed with the strongest squad we’ve had here when he arrived. We were always looking to bring in quality, our supporters do deserve the best and that’s what we do at Celtic.”
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