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Celtic major shareholder Dermot Desmond will meet Martin O’Neill and Robbie Keane this week over the managerial vacancy.
It is understood that the Celtic hierarchy are open to O’Neill continuing as manager, should he wish to stay – and terms are mutually acceptable. But, at the very least, they want him to have some role in providing guidance and support to the club.
O’Neill returned to the club for two spells last term – delivering a dramatic domestic double in the final week of the season.
If the 74-year-old wants to remove himself as a candidate for the managerial position, Celtic will begin a recruitment process to find their next boss and a number of potential candidates have already been named.
Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy and Roberto Martinez are some of the names in the frame.
Keane wants to speak more formally with a Celtic — talks are also scheduled for this week. Desmond, in particular, is said to be a huge fan of the fellow Irishman.
The former Celtic striker, now a free agent, has resigned from his job at Ferencvaros.
As a manager Keane won the Israeli Premier League and the Toto Cup with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 2024, before winning the Hungarian title at Ferencvaros in 2025. He missed out on retaining the title last season, but won the Magyar Cup before leaving Budapest.
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Martin O’Neill will meet with Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond to discuss his future after guiding them to a league and Scottish Cup double.
Bellamy and Martinez are also in the frame
Sky Sports News revealed in October last year that Bellamy had been identified as a managerial target, when Brendan Rodgers stepped down.
The Hoops praised his work as Wales manager. At the time, Bellamy ruled out any move to lead his country through the World Cup play-offs in March where they lost on penalties to Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Bellamy reiterated his commitment to Wales in a press conference today and is preparing to lead them to Euro 2028 despite interest from a number of clubs, including Burnley.
The former Celtic forward said he was “delighted” with the job. This is very important to him and he believes he is still learning as a manager.
Interest in Bellamy has not developed further until now as he has been clear about his immediate future.
Martinez is another name who has been linked with the job – and the Portugal boss will have to be seen as an outsider due to this summer’s World Cup.
Celtic would ideally like to have a manager in place for pre-season, which may not be possible with Martinez.
