Journalist Stuart Hodge has said that a report claiming that Eddie Howe could be announced as Celtic's new manager this week 'sounds bang on'.

The lowdown

The Hoops have been without a permanent manager since they parted company with Neil Lennon at the end of February.

It was reported at the start of April that they were close to an agreement with former Bournemouth boss Howe, having held talks in London, and an official announcement could finally arrive this week.

Howe led Bournemouth from League Two to the Premier League, where they remained for five seasons before dropping back to the Championship last year (Transfermarkt).

The Scottish transfer window is set to open on 9 June, with Celtic looking to assemble a squad capable of overturning a 25-gap to 2020/21 champions Rangers.

The latest

Hodge corroborated the timeline outlined by the Daily Record, saying that he too was told the appointment would be made official this week.

He tweeted: "This timeline sounds bang on. Was told it’d be before the end of next week, but stock exchange needs to know first."

The verdict

The lengthy wait for the appointment to be confirmed means that many Celtic fans may be relieved rather than excited when Howe is finally presented, but they're getting a coach responsible for one of the most impressive achievements in recent British footballing history.

You'd like to think that he has already been privately identifying potential transfer targets, or at least areas which need upgrading, in recent weeks.

He has time to begin implementing his vision before Celtic get their campaign underway in late July, and Hodge's remarks appear to offer an even stronger hint that Howe will already be in the job for nearly two months by then.

In other news, Danny Mills thinks a Premier League club may swoop for this Celtic star before Euro 2020.