Call me an optimist, but I believe Celtic know exactly who their next manager is going to be.

The smart money is on Eddie Howe, since news of talks between the two parties taking place there hasn’t been many other names mentioned at all.

If it is Eddie Howe, formalities of the deal could be holding up the announcement. There has been rumours he is still in some way tied to Bournemouth contractually until the summer. Again, it’s conjecture and while there’s nothing official to report, Celtic must stay silent.

The silly Jose Mourinho chatter from Friday evening served to drive home the fact most in the media have no idea what Celtic are doing behind the scenes, taking crumbs from anyone who claims to have the inside track.

I can’t envision a scenario where Celtic are heading into May without a firm idea of where they’re going. A sporting director is almost certainly in the bag, but again, whatever is holding up these deals will surely come to light when the announcements are made.

It’s the optimist in me and as much as I give this Celtic board little credit for the way they go about their business at times – leaving it this late with nobody nailed down for any of the positions needed just doesn’t seem feasible.

News Celtic are looking at players for big money, murmurings of a defensive bid could lend itself to the theory the stuff behind the scenes is at an advanced stage.

Read: Celtic Interested in £5m Defender

It’s frustrating on the outside looking in, hopefully, our patience is paid off.