Journalist Stuart Hodge says any suggestion that Eddie Howe's proposed appointment at Celtic is collapsing is 'not true', but has slammed the Hoops' 'despicable' approach to finding a new boss.

The lowdown

Celtic parted ways with Neil Lennon at the end of February and have still yet to appoint a successor.

John Kennedy took the reins for the remainder of the season, ending the campaign with a goalless draw at Hibernian last week.

It was reported at the start of April that Howe had agreed in principle to become the Hoops' new boss, but no announcement has since materialised.

This has led some to speculate that the deal has unravelled, with former Premier League midfielder Lee Hendrie even telling The Transfer Tavern he 'really can't see it happening' at this point.

Hendrie hinted that Howe was 'dragging his feet' because he was 'waiting for something else'.

The latest

Now, Hodge, who is a Scottish podcaster and journalist, has taken to Twitter to dismiss any such fears. He 'did look into them' but 'everything credible that came back' reassured him the claims were a mere 'hoax'.

However, Hodge did argue that this once again highlighted Celtic's 'despicable' standard of communication.

He accused the Glasgow outfit of showing 'absolute contempt for fans'.

The club acknowledged fans' frustration in a statement on 7 May and admitted 'the need to complete this process as soon as we can'.

The verdict

Perhaps there's an explanation for the delay. Record Sport say that Howe is waiting for his former club Bournemouth to complete their Championship play-off campaign.

That's because he wants to bring some of his former colleagues to Scotland as part of his backroom team.

The Cherries won the first leg of their tie against Brentford on Monday night, so a trip to Wembley for the final could delay this process even further.

There's no doubt that the delay has been concerning, and the mood now if/when the appointment is confirmed will be one of relief rather than excitement.

In other news, could this be another issue delaying the appointment?