Forget Postecolgou: Celtic's perfect next manager is obvious - if he'll take the job

Eight points adrift in second place, with a board that has just openly attacked its outgoing manager and a squad desperately lacking attacking quality… What manager wouldn’t want to take the Celtic job on right now?

Brendan Rodgers’ reign has ended in acrimony, with blame being apportioned liberally by all sides. The summer transfer window looks more and more like a minor disaster and the league title is already slipping away. Martin O’Neill, drafted back in as caretaker 20 years after he left Parkhead, has made it clear that he is only there for the “short term.” This is not necessarily the most appealing role in British football just now.

Still, the rumours are starting to fly. Someone will succeed O’Neill as Celtic manager in the near future, and at least there’s a fair chance that their search won’t be as protracted or painful as Rangers’. Kieran McKenna has been installed as the bookmakers favourite, and Ange Postecoglou’s name has inevitably been brought up. But would either be the right appointment?

Why bringing Ange Postecoglou back could be a mistake

Postecoglou may now hold the record for the shortest managerial tenure in Premier League history, but that stain on his career doesn’t really reflect his qualities as a manager. For the right team – which Nottingham Forest never were – he is still likely to prove an excellent appointment.

Perhaps his gruff, bluff, no-nonsense style of management would help to kick Celtic into shape. Maybe that same attitude towards interpersonal relationships would make life difficult with a board not presently demonstrating much grace or patience – and although, in fairness, Dermot Desmond isn’t quite as volatile as Evangelos Marinakis.

There are obvious advantages to discussing terms with Postecoglou. He already has existing relationships in the backroom and with the fans, after all, he has won trophies at Celtic, and by his account would be nailed on to do so again in the 2026/27 season. But there are downsides, too, quite beyond the emotional desire not to set up for another retread when Rodgers’ second bite at the Celtic cherry ended in so much recrimination.

Postecolgou’s favoured brand of high-pressing, hundred-mile-and-hour football often takes a little bit of time for the players to get used to and the club’s front line, in particular, has looked thoroughly ponderous so far this season. It’s hard to imagine them hunting in coordinated packs at full pace by next weekend.

Postcoglou wants his players pressing all over, too – but this Celtic side, with the honourable exception of Calum McGregor, lacks bite in midfield. Arne Engels, who started in a midfield three against Hearts, averages one ball recovery per game this season, Reo Hatete just over two. These are not midfielders who naturally fit a system which demands that they chase possession and win it back all over the park.

Of course, given the defects in Celtic’s squad (which are many, especially in the final third), that’s a problem that will impact any manager they bring in, but it’s especially true if the next coach up will be expected to win trophies regardless of the club’s poor start to the campaign. If the board are willing to grant their next manager the grace to gradually reset and a transfer window or two to build a suitable side, then a manager like Postecoglou could be a fine appointment. If results have to be turned around on a sixpence, it would be a gamble, and perhaps another mismatch as Forest were less than two months ago.

Could Kieran McKenna be a better answer for Celtic?

The only other name to emerge as a firm candidate thus far is Kieran McKenna, the Ipswich Town manager who side are currently sat mid-table in the putative English Championship table.

On the one hand, McKenna is scarcely averse to a high-intensity pressing game himself. On the other, he would represent fresh blood at Parkhead, would be free of ties to the club’s recent past, and is a considerably more flexible coach than Postecoglou.

Throughout his time at Ipswich, McKenna has tweaked and adjusted his tactics according to different match situations and personnel availability. The only real constant has been a double pivot in midfield, which shouldn’t be too problematic for Celtic given the resources at their disposal. Where Postecoglou would seek to imprint his methods onto the club with absolute inflexibility, McKenna would likely have a little more give.

His stock has taken a bit of a hit since Ipswich’s relegation last season, but his achievement in taking the Tractor Boys to the Premier League via consecutive promotions remains remarkable. There is a reason that Manchester United and Chelsea were both linked with him a little over a year ago.

Lest we forget, McKenna turned them both down in favour of signing a new contract at Portman Road, and even interviewed for the Chelsea job before they opted for Enzo Maresca instead. Would he now view his future prospects differently and take the Celtic job, or would he prefer to stay put and patiently push for a return to the Premier League instead of packing his bags and heading north of the border?

That remains unclear. Outlets like The Guardian have reported that he is a candidate but the mechanics of that – whether the board have reached out to him or whether McKenna himself would be interested – remain uncertain. He may well be unobtainable. But if Celtic can get him on board, they should jump at the chance. McKenna has the right combination of a history of success and tactical flexibility to succeed more or less wherever he goes. Postecoglou might work. Maybe. Or it could all come down in flames.

Whether Celtic go in either direction or head off down an as-yet-unknown third path, however, they need to fix a transfer and recruitment process that saw them lose Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kühn and Adam Idah in one summer without adequate replacements. Whatever the truth behind how the summer’s business unfolded, there is a strong argument that Rodgers was dealt an unwinnable hand, and those same cards will pass on to the next player in the chair. Continue to sell without replacing with quality, and it probably won’t much matter who Celtic appoint.