Martin O’Neill and Robbie Keane have emerged as the two leading candidates to become Celtic’s next permanent manager this summer.
The club’s board are set to hold talks with both men as they look to make a swift appointment ahead of a crucial summer for the Scottish champions.
O’Neill, 74, came out of retirement and guided Celtic through a chaotic season, stepping in twice after Brendan Rodgers and then Wilfried Nancy both departed the club.
The Northern Irishman ultimately delivered a league and cup double across his two interim spells, lifting the Scottish Cup at Hampden ten days ago to complete the achievement.
He looked visibly tired at the trophy presentation and admitted that if the season were to start next week, he could not go on, adding that Celtic may be looking for a younger man.
However, O’Neill refused to rule out returning in some capacity and said he was satisfied he had shown that older managers could still contribute to the game.
His steady influence guided Celtic to a fifth straight title on the final day against Hearts, with players speaking glowingly about the impact he had on the squad.
O’Neill also said he had learned a great deal from his coaches Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, with the same trio potentially going again together at Celtic.
Keane, 45, brings a different profile to the role, having built his early managerial career abroad following stints with Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ferencvaros in Hungary.
The former Republic of Ireland international won a league title at Maccabi Tel Aviv before joining Ferencvaros in January 2025 and guiding them to a seventh straight championship that season.
Ferencvaros could not defend that title this season, however, missing out by a single point after a 1-0 loss to eventual champions ETO Gyor in April proved costly.
They did win the Hungarian Cup as consolation, though more was expected given their squad is valued at least three times more than the rest of the league.
Keane’s side did overperform in the Europa League, finishing 12th in the league phase, four points and nine places above Celtic despite operating with one of the smaller budgets.
On their run to the last 16, Ferencvaros defeated Rangers, Genk, RB Salzburg, and Ludogorets, while also drawing away at Fenerbahce during the competition.
They eventually fell to Braga of Portugal 4-2 on aggregate in the last 16, despite winning the home leg 2-0 at their own ground.
Keane has described his football as attacking in style, and once threatened to drop his centre-backs if they passed to each other too often rather than playing forward.
“I don’t like my centre-backs keeping the ball for the sake of keeping the ball,” the former Tottenham, Liverpool, and Leeds striker said.
Former Celtic captain Scott Brown and youth coach Jonny Hayes are among those mooted as potential assistants should Keane take the role, alongside former Aberdeen manager Stephen Glass, who worked with him in Hungary.
With Motherwell’s Jens Berthel Askou joining Toulouse and Craig Bellamy committing to Wales, the field has narrowed significantly to leave these two men as the primary candidates.
Celtic’s board now face a major decision over which direction to take the club, with supporters divided on whether experience or fresh ambition should shape the club’s immediate future.
