As the managerial landscape of Celtic continues to shift, the club finds itself at a crossroads. With Ange Postecoglou poised to take the reins at Tottenham Hotspur, the Celtic board is faced with the daunting task of finding a worthy successor.
Brendan Rodgers, has been touted as a potential candidate, but recent developments suggest that he may not be ready to return to the dugout just yet.
Rodgers, who left Celtic for Leicester City four years ago, has reportedly expressed his desire to take a year-long sabbatical from football. This comes in the wake of his departure from Leicester, where his tenure ended on a sour note. Rodgers has been candid about his plans, telling close friends and family that he intends to take a break from the front-line of football management. His future aspirations include a potential move abroad to manage in one of Europe’s top leagues.
However, the sudden departure of Postecoglou, who is set to succeed Antonio Conte at Spurs, has thrown a spanner in the works. Rodgers was quickly installed as the favourite to replace Postecoglou, despite his stated intentions to take a break. This has led to speculation about whether Rodgers would consider a return to Celtic, a club where he enjoyed considerable success, including back-to-back trebles in his first two seasons.
Yet, Rodgers’ past exit from Celtic, which sparked a backlash from the club’s supporters, remains a sticking point. The strained relationship with the fans, coupled with his current plans, may force Celtic’s major shareholder Dermott Desmond and chairman Peter Lawwell to explore other options.
One such option is Enzo Maresca according to RecordSport, currently serving as Pep Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City. Maresca, who has been instrumental in City’s pursuit of a treble this season, has reportedly garnered support within the Celtic hierarchy.
Maresca was linked with the job before Ange took the role two years ago. He then ended up in Parma where he had a nightmare. He’s very much part of the city group, the same link that brought Ange to Celtic from Yokohama.
Celtic have to balance out what they need. A young, fresh manager or do they need a more experienced man at the helm?
