Celtic are back in action in the Europa League on Thursday as they travel to Denmark to take on FC Midtjylland in their latest match in the League Phase.
It will be Martin O’Neill’s first venture into Europe since he took over as interim head coach after Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation at the start of last week.
With the Scottish giants still looking for a permanent successor to Rodgers, who won two Scottish Premiership titles in two seasons back at the club, O’Neill will be in the dugout again on Thursday.
The 73-year-old manager won his first two games in interim charge against Falkirk and Rangers, sealing a place in the League Cup final with a win at Hampden Park on Sunday,
Two wins from two games as the interim manager means that O’Neill has provided the board with a chance to take their time to find a long-term successor to Rodgers.
The latest on Martin O'Neill's future at Celtic
There has been speculation that the experienced head coach, who is in his second spell in the dugout at Parkhead, could stay on in the position beyond the upcoming international break.
O’Neill, who won three Premiership titles in his first stint at the club, is a safe pair of hands who could keep the seat warm until the next manager comes in with the summer transfer window ahead of them next year.
When asked if he would be open to extending his stay at Parkhead, the Northern Irishman said: “The very obvious answer would be yes, I would do. But I genuinely don’t know what to expect.
“When I saw the games they had and then the international break, I thought they’ll have a couple of weeks to think about it. I haven’t even spoken to him since that. In a perverse sort of way I’ve enjoyed the two games – but not a lot.”
Football Insider reported at the end of last month that O’Neill could take the job until the end of the season if his spell as the interim is a success, which suggests that the next two matches against Midtjylland and Kilmarnock could be pivotal.
Midtjylland
Europa League
Kilmarnock
Premiership
St Mirren
Premiership
Feyenoord
Europa League
Hibernian
Premiership
Dundee
Premiership
Hearts
Premiership
Roma
Europa League
Falkirk
Premiership
St Mirren
League Cup final
The Hoops have nine more games left to play, including the next two matches before the international break, before the League Cup final clash with St Mirren at Hampden Park.
However, it currently remains to be seen whether or not O’Neill will get the chance to lead the team out at Hampden for a second time, after winning the semi-final there on Sunday.
Whilst O’Neill’s short-term future at Parkhead remains up in the air, there is work going on behind the scenes to identify the long-term successor to Rodgers.
Celtic are making moves for Belgian head coach
According to Voetbal Nieuws, as relayed by Sport Witness, Celtic are interested in a deal to bring Club Brugge tactician Nicky Hayen to Glasgow.
The report claims that the Hoops are eyeing up the Belgian head coach as a potential option to replace Rodgers, and that they are making moves behind the scenes to make it happen.
Manager Focus
Who are the greatest coaches in the land? Football FanCast’s Manager Focus series aims to reveal all.
It adds that Hayen has a release clause in his contract with Club Brugge, which would make negotiations slightly easier for Celtic, but it does not reveal how much that clause is worth.
The outlet also relays comments from the Club Brugge boss when he was asked about interest from the Scottish giants. He said: “I haven’t thought about that for a second. I have someone who looks after my interests and who also knows exactly when to inform me. That’s not on the agenda yet.”
It was a fairly coy response from Hayen, who did not suggest that he would not be interested in the move, and the Hoops must, now, press ahead with a deal for his services.
Why Celtic should appoint Nicky Hayen
On face value, the Scottish giants should appoint the 43-year-old head coach because he has shown that he can win trophies as a manager.
Hayen, who one analyst on social media has described as “tactically unbeatable”, has won three trophies, including a Pro League title, in less than 100 matches in charge.
On top of his credentials as a winner, the Club Brugge boss could be the perfect appointment to develop players at Celtic, who have a rich history of developing and selling talent, including the likes of Matt O’Riley, Jeremie Frimpong, and Virgil van Dijk.
Hayen’s impressive work with Brugge forward Christos Tzolis suggests that he has the coaching skills to make Sebastian Tounekti a superstar at Parkhead.
Tzolis was signed by the Belgian giants for a fee of around £5.7m in the summer of 2024, after a spell of three goals in 30 games with Norwich in England, per Transfemarkt.
The Greek international racked up 21 goals and 16 assists in 56 appearances in all competitions on the left of Hayen’s 4-2-3-1 formation in the 2024/25 campaign, which attracted interest from the Premier League.
Crystal Palace had an offer of £26m turned down for the winger, who was valued at £35m by Brugge, which shows that his value has soared by millions under the Belgian coach.
xG
1.33
Top 35%
Goals
1
Bottom 48%
xA
1.41
Top 12%
Chances created
15
Top 7%
Cross accuracy
37.5%
Top 19%
Assists
0
Bottom 3%
Successful dribbles
11
Top 21%
As you can see in the table above, Tounekti has shown signs of promise in the Premiership for Celtic since his £5m move from Hammarby in the summer, but he needs to add consistency to his end product if he wants to be a superstar.
The Tunisia international, who has scored two goals for the club so far, has been exciting to watch with his dribbling skills and direct play, and Hayen could help him to take the next step in his career.
Club Brugge’s head coach helped Tzolis to add consistency to his play in the final third, leading to goals and assists on a regular basis from the former Norwich man, and he could do the same with Tounekti, who plays in the same position.
Therefore, Celtic could turn their Tunisian winger into a superstar by appointing Hayen to help with his development for the Hoops.
Their own Klopp: Celtic can replace O'Neill with "kamikaze" 4-3-3 manager
Celtic could find their own version of Jurgen Klopp by hiring this reported managerial target.
ByDan Emery
