Celtic manager Martin O’Neill cast doubt on his own future when he revealed that he would have to consider his position at the club during the international break.
The Hoops lost three matches in succession before the break, including two losses to Rangers without scoring, and the Northern Irish veteran admitted that he would have to assess whether he was still the man for the job or not.
However, Michael Nicholson has since publicly backed O’Neill. He said: “The losses in the last week have been painful for us all. We will now come together and support Martin and the players, as we focus our efforts on achieving success domestically and in the Europa League.”That statement from Nicholson, though, does not mean that the board will not take a decision of their own if the results do not improve after the break.
Why Celtic should sack Martin O’Neill
The Scottish Premiership champions could decide to part ways with the veteran head coach so that they can look forward to the future and plan for the long-term, rather than fixating on the short-term.
O’Neill only signed a 12-month rolling contract in the summer and has only ever been a short-term fix for Celtic, rather than a manager who is planning years in advance for the team.Having a manager who is only there for a short-term impact does not feel worth it when the results are not going as expected, which is why a decision could be made to part ways with him if the form does not turn around after the break.
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Celtic’s last 8 matches |
|
|---|---|
|
Opposition |
Result |
|
Rangers |
1-0 loss |
|
Ferencvaros |
3-1 loss |
|
Rangers |
3-0 loss |
|
St. Johnstone |
1-0 win |
|
St Mirren |
2-1 win |
|
Aberdeen |
3-0 win |
|
Falkirk |
3-1 win |
|
LASK |
5-1 loss |
Celtic have lost four of their last eight matches in all competitions, conceding 14 goals in that time, and were knocked out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage.
It may, therefore, be time for the board to sack O’Neill and look towards the long-term with the appointment of a manager who can lead the team in the here and now as well as in the future.
Why Celtic must replace O’Neill with Premier League winner
Over the summer, the Scottish giants looked at several external options to take the job on a permanent basis before they handed the Northern Irishman the role permanently after his interim spell in charge.
Now, Celtic should go back to the drawing board and revisit one of their options from the summer to replace O’Neill in the coming weeks, should the club opt to move on from him.
The Hoops held an interest in former Liverpool and Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot, who left Anfield at the end of last season, and believed that he would be a popular opinion within the fanbase.
Months later, the Dutchman is yet to take a job elsewhere and that means that the Premiership side still have an opportunity to convince him to make the move to Parkhead.
He would not be the first former Liverpool manager tempted to try his luck in Glasgow, of course, as Brendan Rodgers made a similar move to Paradise after his time at Anfield.
Slot, though, enjoyed even more success than the Northern Irishman during his spell on Merseyside, as he won the Premier League title in the 2024/25 campaign.
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Arne Slot’s league record |
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|---|---|---|
|
Season (club) |
Points per game |
Finish |
|
25/26 (Liverpool) |
1.58 |
5th |
|
24/25 (Liverpool) |
2.21 |
1st |
|
23/24 (Feyenoord) |
2.45 |
2nd |
|
22/23 (Feyenoord) |
2.41 |
1st |
|
21/22 (Feyenoord) |
2.09 |
3rd |
|
20/21 (AZ Alkmaar) |
1.89 |
6th |
|
19/20 (AZ Alkmaar) |
2.24 |
2nd |
In fact, the 48-year-old tactician has proven his worth as a title-winner in multiple countries in his managerial career, winning the Eredivisie with Feyenoord before his success in England.
Celtic need a manager who can win titles, of course, and the Dutchman fits the bill because of his strong history in league matches with Feyenoord and Liverpool.
Slot is also 26 years younger than O’Neill and would arrive at Parkhead with more of a focus on the mid-to-long-term as a manager who could build something special over time.
He could arrive with the long-term goal of achieving success in Europe with the Hoops, who have not reached past the last 16 in the Conference League, Europa League, or Champions League since the inception of those particular competitions.
Slot has reached the final of the Conference League and the quarter-finals of the Europa League and the Champions League in his career, which suggests that he could be the perfect manager to take Celtic to the next level on the European stage.
Therefore, the Hoops should be aiming to convince the 4-2-3-1 head coach to take the job and replace O’Neill, so that the club can start to look forward.
