Eddie Howe is reportedly having second thoughts on becoming the new Celtic manager after verbally agreeing on a move to Parkhead.

Former England striker Kevin Phillips, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, has shared his thoughts on why the former Bournemouth manager is stalling over a switch to Glasgow.

Howe now on Palace radar

Howe has also spoken to English Premier League club Crystal Palace about potentially replacing Roy Hodgson and is on a three-man shortlist at Selhurst Park alongside Sean Dyche and Frank Lampard.

Phillips believes that the pressure of having to win matches on a regular basis at Celtic could be the reason for his Parkhead U-turn, saying:

“Whoever goes there will be well aware of the challenge they face.

“It’s a high-pressure job and we all know what you have to do if you go to Celtic this summer, you have to win the league next year, it’s as simple as that.

“Howe’s under no illusions and some managers won’t like that pressure, the pressure is a big factor, you have to win football matches if you take over at Celtic.

“If Eddie was to take over it would be a challenge that he hasn’t had to deal with in his football career."

Transfer Tavern take

Howe has averaged 1.51 points per game during his 540 games as a manager, with the majority of those coming at Bournemouth. That ratio would certainly need to increase if he were to make the move to Glasgow, but considering his previous jobs were with the Cherries and Burnley, it’s not a bad record.

We feel that Phillips citing pressure as a deterrent isn't quite accurate. Howe would surely have known what would be demanded at Celtic Park in terms of the level of expectation, so there are probably other factors as to why he is holding off on putting pen to paper.

One reported assurance was being able to bring Bournemouth director Richard Hughes with him to the club, even though Celtic were thought to be closing in on Manchester City’s Fergal Harkin. That perhaps seems a more plausible reason for Howe's potential move to Glasgow losing momentum in recent days.

In other news: Celtic keen on English teenager related to ex-Tottenham defender, find out more here.