Soccer

Brendan Rodgers has little or nothing to gain by taking on a second Celtic stint

Succession planning has never been a Celtic forte. Instead there is an obsession with prevailing in Scotland’s two-horse domestic scene

Ange Postecoglou. Tottenham have appointed the former Celtic boss as their head coach on a four-year deal. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
Ange Postecoglou. Tottenham have appointed the former Celtic boss as their head coach on a four-year deal. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA Wire
Ewan Murray
Mon Jun 12 2023 - 08:00

Celtic’s supporters must know not to fall for managers. Ange Postecoglou’s exit for Tottenham maintained a theme which dictates those fans will surely be careful not to be seduced by the Australian’s successor.

These marriages are only ever of convenience. Neil Lennon, Postecoglou’s immediate predecessor, is an iconic Celtic figure who was subjected to vile abuse before time was called on his second tenure. Brendan Rodgers was revered in the east end of Glasgow before he, like Postecoglou, was coaxed by the bright lights of the Premier League.

That Rodgers leapt shortly before delivery of an eighth consecutive title infuriated a noisy element of the Celtic support, as if such landmarks resonate anywhere beyond Scotland and Leicester City were supposed to time the sacking of Claude Puel accordingly.

Speculation linking Rodgers with a return to Celtic refuses to fully dissipate. He has told friends he intends to take a year away from the dugout after the wounding manner in which things imploded for him at Leicester. Managers routinely have such ideas; they are routinely altered by what is perceived as the right offer. Rodgers likes money but he does not need it. The Northern Irishman has made no secret of a desire to work abroad.

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Rodgers has little or nothing to gain by taking on a second Celtic stint. Eventually he realised his broader reputation was hardly being enhanced by harrowing European nights. Celtic will play in the Champions League once more next season and could of course receive a lucky draw. Yet Postecoglou’s lauded XI was comfortably bottom of Group F in this campaign.

Dermot Desmond, Celtic’s principal shareholder, can be a persuasive man. Desmond is acutely aware he needs to deliver a “name” to placate supporters who are hurt by Postecoglou’s relatively swift departure. If there is lingering discontent about Rodgers, Desmond is unlikely to care.

That Celtic are not willing to make it straightforward for their assistant manager John Kennedy to follow Postecoglou to London at least implies they are not particularly amused by recent events. This would also suggest Celtic believed for the majority of the season just completed that Postecoglou would remain in post for one more tilt at the Champions League.

Succession planning has never been a Celtic forte. Instead there is an obsession with prevailing in Scotland’s two-horse domestic scene. Rodgers loved Glasgow but, naturally, lost his appetite for the football environment. If the Rodgers link does amount to nothing, Kjetil Knutsen and Enzo Maresca are known to have admirers inside Celtic’s boardroom.

Knutsen’s sterling work with Bodø/Glimt has earned him admirers and job links galore but, curiously, no move. Now 54, Knutsen will know he has to seize a bigger opportunity some time soon. He appears to suffer from the lack of broader respect afforded to Norwegian coaches. Postecoglou was once in a similar scenario, with Celtic providing the ideal platform for him to showcase his talents. There are parallels too in that Knutsen would want to implement a clear style of play.

Maresca impressed Desmond and others when interviewed by Celtic before. Any coach under Pep Guardiola clearly knows what they are doing and the example of Mikel Arteta will be cited by those who believe Maresca is bound for glory of his own. His short, ill-fated time in charge of Parma in 2021 raises red flags. Celtic have fished in the City Football Group pond before, including with Postecoglou, but this appointment would carry huge risk.

Rik De Mil, the assistant manager at Club Brugge, AZ Alkmaar’s Pascal Jansen, Daniel Farke and Graham Potter have also been linked with Celtic.

De Mil and Jansen look to have bright futures. Potter could reasonably believe his role in the omnishambles at Chelsea will be overlooked by Premier League clubs given his success at Swansea and Brighton. Moving to Scotland, so soon after being regarded as the hottest managerial property in England, would be viewed as taking two steps back. Farke’s career has stalled.

Celtic, extraordinarily for a club of such size, have no director of football. Their model has been so intrinsically linked to Postecoglou for two years that they are now in a tricky position. It is not a given that their new manager will have to oversee a rebuild but this individual has to earn the trust of five Japanese players – two of them, Kyogo Furuhashi and Reo Hatate, are massively influential – and vice versa.

Postecoglou shaped the squad precisely as he wanted, with positive results meaning he was implicitly trusted by directors. Scratching below the surface, Celtic in so many ways resemble an analogue football club in a digital age.

Perhaps Celtic have no reason to rue Postecoglou’s switch. Clubs the world over would be perfectly content with two profitable years from a manager who is poached by someone further up the food chain. Had Postecoglou flopped, nobody would have been remotely interested in him anyway. Celtic have to determine whether they are happy with potential replication of that storyline or want longer‑term stability.

What Celtic actually need is someone who will broaden their horizons. They require a visible pathway for youth players, a level of performance that can at least make reasonable inroads in Europe and a reputation which leaves other huge entities in small leagues across the continent dripping with jealousy. The manager who ticks those boxes – and who will be given leeway to see a world beyond Ross County – is their man. – The Guardian