(Credit: Imago)

Ciaran Morrison

Sun 24 May 2026 9:00, UK

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Celtic must do all they can to keep Martin O’Neill at the club to help them appoint their next permanent manager.

That is according to former Aberdeen chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking to Football Insider, who states that Celtic can’t be going through another period like when Wilfried Nancy was at the helm.

O’Neill returned to the club for a second interim spell this season after Nancy’s disastrous 33-day reign in charge, where he lost six of his eight matches.

It looked as if Celtic would not win the Scottish Premiership title, but O’Neill’s arrival saw the Hoops overturn Hearts’ lead at the top of the table on the final day to win their fifth consecutive crown.

O’Neill is a fan favourite in Glasgow, and the Celtic board need to make sure they get their next managerial appointment right amid rising pressure on their positions at the club.

Martin O’Neill can ‘go out at the top’ at Celtic

Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes O’Neill ‘deserves” to stay at Celtic after he led them to the title.

Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks that O’Neill will always be a “hero” at Celtic Park for what he has done at the club.

He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “It would be a mistake for Celtic not to have O’Neill involved in crafting the way forward, given the Wilfried Nancy disaster that they had this season when they tried to do it themselves.

“Martin deserves every right to stay on. Maybe he starts along with a team and develops them over the course of a season. That could be one solution that could work for everybody.

“But, Martin’s got to accept reality that he’s gone out at the top, and there’s still the cup final to go as well. So he’d go out with a double. You can’t ask for much more than that.

“Then if he has a hand, guiding the hand on the tiller going forward, then he’s done a superb job for Celtic, and he will always be remembered as a great hero.”

Celtic identify top target to become their next manager

Celtic’s search for their next permanent manager has already been dealt a blow after Motherwell boss Jens Berthel Askou decided to join Toulouse.

Askou had been linked with a move to Celtic Park thanks to the fine job he had done during his first season at Motherwell, and the attractive style of football the Steelmen were playing.

Instead, former Manchester United chief scout Mick Brown told Football Insider that Celtic could go all out to appoint Roberto Martinez.

Martinez, who will take charge of Portugal at this summer’s World Cup, has a relationship with Celtic assistant Shaun Maloney and could be tempted to move to Glasgow if he is given assurances in the transfer market.