3-5-2 manager ready to sign three year contract with Celtic

Celtic have a huge decision to make this summer as they look for their next permanent manager after Martin O’Neill‘s time in charge as an interim manager comes to an end.

The Hoops opted to bring the veteran Northern Irish coach back in until the end of the season in January and he went on to win the Scottish Premiership and the SFA Cup.

They needed to go back to O’Neill for the second time in the same season after they took a risk on MLS head coach Wilfried Nancy, who lost six of his eight matches in charge of the club.

However, the 74-year-old manager may not take on the role heading into the 2026/27 campaign after recently admitting that Dermot Desmond is likely to look for a “younger” hire.

The Hoops may decide to look to the future to build a long-term project instead of needing to rely on O’Neill’s experience as a short-term option.

Title-winning manager ready to become Celtic manager

Anyone replacing O’Neill has huge shoes to fill because the 3-1 win over Dunfermline to win the SFA Cup last night secured his eighth trophy as Celtic’s manager across multiple spells.

The Northern Irish boss, who has won four Scottish Premiership titles, is a proven winner and the club are now looking at a manager who could follow in his footsteps.

According to journalist Alan Nixon, via his Patreon, out-of-work manager Robbie Keane went to hold talks with Celtic over a move to Parkhead on Monday night.

The Irish head coach, who recently left Hungarian side Ferencvaros, held discussions with Desmond to see if a move to Parkhead would be viable for both parties.

Nixon claims that Keane, who enjoyed a productive loan spell at Celtic as a player in 2010, is want to land the job now that he is a free agent heading into the summer.

It now remains to be seen whether or not Desmond will offer the former Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur centre-forward the job as O’Neill’s permanent replacement in Glasgow.

That said, the Daily Mail further report that the Irishman is ready to sign a three year contract with the Glasgow giants.

Why Celtic must offer Robbie Keane the job

Keane’s short managerial career to date suggests that he has the potential to be Celtic’s next O’Neill in the dugout, as a proven winner.

Keane could even be an upgrade on the veteran Northern Irishman when it comes to competing in European competitions, as O’Neill has averaged 1.52 points per game in Europe throughout his career.

The Irishman, meanwhile, has already won 22 of his 36 games in European matches, including qualifiers, and led Ferencvaros to the last 16 of the Europa League this season.

Keane’s side also beat Danny Rohl’s Rangers 2-1 in the league phase of the Europa League back in December, which means that he has already shown that he can tactically outclass the German, who would be his rival for the Premiership title next season.

Domestically, the 45-year-old tactician, who typically deploys a 3-5-2 formation as Neil Lennon did at times during his spell in charge of the Hoops, has also shown that he can coach a team to challenge for titles and win matches week-in-week-out.

Keane has won two league titles in the last three seasons, finishing second in the other, as he won the Hungarian league with Ferencvaros in the 2024/25 campaign and the Israeli top-flight with Maccabi Tel Aviv in the 2023/24 season.

The former Hoops striker also won the Hungarian Cup with Ferencvaros this season, despite failing to win the league, which meant that he still came away from the campaign with silverware before leaving the club last month.

Where Celtic went wrong with their appointment of Nancy was that he had no experience in European football as a coach and had not won multiple league titles to prove that he could hit the ground running as a winning manager.

Keane, however, has won two league titles in four seasons as a manager, including two in the last three, and has experience in Europe as both a manager and a player.

Having played for Celtic, albeit briefly, he also knows what it takes to succeed at Parkhead and will not be overawed by the expectations that supporters set of the team.

That is why Desmond should make Keane an offer, because he has all the makings of being the club’s next O’Neill; a manager who can deliver consistent success.