Former Celtic striker Frank McAvennie believes a new Hoops manager could be in place by next weekend.
The Lowdown: Celtic managerial latest
The Hoops remain on the hunt for Neil Lennon’s long-term successor, with John Kennedy still in interim charge of the club.
Both Eddie Howe and Roy Keane have been heavily linked with the vacant role, with the former even verbally agreeing on a deal to Parkhead before having second thoughts.
Keane, meanwhile, is now back in the picture as a result, however, the manager pendulum appears to have swung back in favour of Howe, who is reportedly finalising his Celtic Park backroom staff.
Howe, who spoke to Crystal Palace about potentially succeeding Roy Hodgson this summer, is now thought to be behind Burnley’s Sean Dyche in the Palace pecking order.
The Latest: McAvennie’s announcement claim
McAvennie, taking to Football Insider following the development at Selhurst Park regarding Dyche and Howe, was asked as to when he feels a deal could be announced for Lennon’s long-term successor.
The 61-year-old replied, believing a new manager could be officially announced by ‘Saturday of next week’ – four words that could be of particular interest to a number of Hoops fans.
“The new manager won’t want anything to do with this season.
“Now they can be announced because the Rangers game has gone. That’s the season over.
“I don’t know for sure but it wouldn’t surprise me if there was an announcement before the end of the season, by Saturday of next week. There was no point in the new guy coming in because most of the players won’t be here soon.
“If he came in before, he’d be teaching those players for nothing. They won’t be here so what’s the point?
“The big games are out of the way now. They can announce it now and it won’t be associated with this season.”
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The Verdict: Dates don’t add up
Should that new manager be Howe, we don’t think it will be announced by Saturday of next week, purely due to reports regarding his coaching staff.
Bournemouth scout Mark Burchill, along with coaches Simon Weatherstone and Stephen Purches, are names who have been linked with moving to Glasgow alongside Howe.
However, the Cherries are currently preparing for the playoffs in the Championship, so it would come as a major surprise to us if a deal is announced in line with Celtic’s last game of the season on May 15.
The second-tier playoffs don’t end until the end of the month, so we feel as if the Hoops hierarchy may need to bide their time to get a deal for Howe over the line.
That said, if the wind changes back towards someone like Keane again, perhaps McAvennie's prediction could come true after all.
In other news: Celtic transfer update emerges on £7.7k-p/w star; looks as if Lawwell's made a big mistake, find out more here.