It was an emotional return to Celtic for former manager Martin O’Neil, after he was appointed to ‘steady the ship’ in January, following the disastrous, short-lived hire of Wilfried Nancy in December.
A popular choice that soothed fans, after his exploits during his previous trophy-laden stint in charge, though in reality, it was only ever going to be an interim gig until the end of the season.
🎙️ Martin O’Neill spoke with the media after being announced as manager for the remainder of the season ⤵️#CelticFC🍀
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 6, 2026
O’Neil has got Celtic firmly back into the title race, which would mark a sensational return to the club where he excelled as boss and while the board and the fans would likely love him to stay, the Northern Irishman likely prefers a more ‘hands-off’ role at this stage of his career that could see him return to punditry.
Several Contenders In The Running
Speaking of punditry, it could be another former manager, Roy Keane, who currently is a popular and essentially permanent fixture across the television networks, in addition to the well-liked podcast Stick To Football, produced by The Overlap and hosted by fellow ex-Manchester United teammate, Gary Neville.
While Keane is favourite to take over, much depends on whether he would want the job. When asked about this in the past while on the podcast, he has been rather vague in his answers, suggesting that there would need to be numerous boxes to be ticked.
Since leaving the dugout at Ipswich Town 15 years ago, Keane has steadily built up his reputation as a professional pundit and he may feel a return to management isn’t for him.
Another name that is understood to be in the mix, is former Hoops player Shaun Maloney, who currently assists O’Neil as part of his backroom staff and he would be a natural successor, having been around the club again for the last few months.
It is also being reported that former Tottenham and Brentford boss, Thomas Frank also under consideration, who could certainly do a job for the Scottish Premiership side, based on his work for the Bees.
There are also suggestions that Robbie Keane could be a candidate; currently in charge of Hungarian side, Ferencvaros having also managed Maccabi Tel Aviv. This would be an interesting challenge for Keane and would certainly represent a step up.
Of course, there are several others who may come into contention over the next couple weeks, including Liam Rosenior who was recently fired by Chelsea after failing to make the required impact.
Who Would Be The Most Realistic At This Stage?
While Frank would probably represent the dream appointment for fans, this would be an ambitious move from the board, though he will likely have numerous offers from around Europe. Despite that, Celtic is a big club and represents a chance for him to make a statement.
At this stage, Maloney though, is perhaps the most realistic and obvious candidate; perhaps a ‘safe bet’ having been around the club for the last few months and he is well-liked by fans for his time there as a player.