Six Celtic next manager candidates rated and slated as Dermot Desmond wildcard factor looms large

The Hoops are closing in on a new manager and Record Sport has weighed up the men in the frame for the hot seat

Celtic fans are waiting for white smoke – and in the meantime they’ve had to contend with a fair amount of hot air.

Parkhead chiefs are searching for a new manager on the back of the bombshell Brendan Rodgers departure and the clock is ticking.

Martin O’Neill has steadied the ship and brought back some of the feel good factor.

But the club’s annual general meeting is coming up next Friday and the punters will want either a new man in charge by then – or an idea of the plan for the future.

Celts officials held talks with representatives of some candidates in London this week and majority shareholder Dermot Desmond and head of football operations Paul Tisdale are leading the chase.

The search is smouldering rather than scorching right now but there are a few names that have emerged at the top of the list.

WILFRIED NANCY

PROS: The Frenchman is highly rated across the pond after success in the MLS with Columbus Crew and Montreal previously. Nancy has only been a head coach for four years but he’s gained a reputation for creating attacking teams who score lots of goals.

CONS: The 48-year-old’s been a main man for a short period of time and it’s a big leap for a man with so little experience. The MLS is a solid standard but there’s nowhere near the same level of pressure or scrutiny that would be felt at Parkhead. It’s a tough environment for an experienced boss never mind a relative rookie.

KEVIN MCKENNA

PROS: The Northern Irishman has a huge reputation in England after leading Ipswich to two promotions, all the way to the Premier League. His name didn’t take too big a dunt when they went down and it looks a matter of time before he makes the step up to an established EPL outfit.

CONS: He’s a young manager and another one who’d be stepping into an different playground in Glasgow compared to sleepy Anglia.

Cost is also a major issue. McKenna’s £5m buyout clause wouldn’t make Celts blink, but his bumper wage packet might, and he could be sitting tight until a big job comes up in the English top flight.

ROBBIE KEANE

PROS: The Irish legend is a manager on the rise. He could have waited to be parachuted into more high-profile gigs but instead went out and earned his spurs with trophy success at Maccabi Tel Aviv and now Ferencvaros. A club like Celts – which he knows inside out – looks the next logical step.

CONS: Keane copped a lot of flak in Ireland for working in Israel when war broke out in Gaza – and he was also criticised by fans of his own club for not endorsing the conflict either. Keane was caught up in the politics and he’s still getting it from some quarters today, and it would undoubtedly be a point of contention for some at Parkhead.

KJETIL KNUTSEN

PROS: The Norwegian has worked miracles with Bodo/Glimt, leading the Arctic minnows to four league titles and punching way above their weight in Europe. Knutsen set up a modern, radical thinking approach to recruitment and has shown he’s tactically astute.

CONS: There’s always the question whether the magic Knutsen has created in his Norwegian outpost can travel. It’s not a one man band up there and while they have a winning formula, it’s no guarantee that planting the manager somewhere else will have similar results. The 57-year-old also seems more than happy to be king of his own castle where he is.

NICKY HAYEN

PROS: The Belgian would be a popular choice given the job he’s done with Club Brugge in recent years. His club sold a lot of talent but he recruited brilliantly and has turned his men into one of the most exciting sides in Europe this term.

CONS: The 45-year-old has been happy to be linked but he might be being cute as the could be serous interest in his services from elsewhere. Brugge are flying in the Champions League and it would be surprise to trade that for Celts right now and a big money move to the EPL of Germany could also be in the offing.

MARTIN O'NEILL

PROS: The caretaker boss has shown he’s still got it in his short spell in temporary charge. He’s a club legend no matter what and he does have respected coach Shaun Maloney alongside him. O’Neill has more experience in his pinky toe than the rest of the names in the running put together and knows the club inside out.

CONS: O’Neill’s as sprightly as ever but there’s no escaping the fact he is 73-years-old, and it’s gruelling gig for anyone, with the next few months in particular going to be full on in Scotland and in Europe. It wouldn’t be a long term solution and Celtic as a club are in need of a reset and strategy beyond the coming weeks.

WILDCARDS

Celtic’s majority shareholder Dermot Desmond has never been shy at shooting for the stars when it comes to appointing managers.

O’Neill was a huge coup first time around, as was Rodgers on both occasions he pitched up at Parkhead. There were also attempts to land Roy Keane back in 2014 and Eddie Howe was one of the hottest properties in England when he came close to taking the role.

Desmond might have a look around and be tempted to go big again.

There is no obvious out of work managers who would have the traditional links to the Irish tycoon but there are some heavy hitters waiting around for the next tasty offer.

Former Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose has been spoken to before about the gig and is without a club.

Ex-Man United boss Erik Ten Haag has just knocked back the chance to return to Ajax and, hey, Sir Gareth Southgate is still waiting for the phone to ring after getting England tantalisingly close to ending their long wait for a trophy.

Those big beasts don’t come cheap mind you and it might be a stretch in the current climate with top level gaffers pocketing £5m plus a year.

The same goes for Ange Postecoglou. If the Aussie fancied another crack at Celts then he’d already be back in the hot seat.

Sources around the Hoops hero suggest he’s happy to take a break after a few bruising months and is confident he’ll get another change in the EPL or in one of Europe’s big leagues.

But Celtic fans can always expect the unexpected – especially when it comes to new managers.

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