Credit: Imago

Evan Lloyd

Sat 14 March 2026 10:00, UK

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Craig Bellamy has seen his odds slashed in the race to become the next permanent manager of Celtic.

The Wales boss spent half a season on loan with the Hoops in 2005 and scored nine goals in just 15 games across all competitions.

He did not secure a permanent move, however, and instead moved to Blackburn Rovers in the summer before later joining Liverpool.

Bellamy has been the manager of Wales since 2024, and he will lead his side at the World Cup play-offs later this month.

Celtic’s next manager is a position still without a clear favourite, with Jens Berthel Askou, Roberto Martinez and Robbie Keane all in the running.

Bookies slash Craig Bellamy odds

Ex-Everton chief executive Keith Wyness exclusively told Football Insider this week that Askou is Celtic’s obvious choice.

The Motherwell manager has done a fantastic job this season, with his side fourth in the Scottish Premiership, having finished in the bottom half last season before he arrived.

23-year-old forward Tawanda Maswanhise has exploded under the Dane’s management, scoring 16 goals in the league so far this season.

The 43-year-old appears to be the best choice for Celtic, but there remains interest in the likes of Keane, Martinez and Bellamy, who are impressive in their own right.

The Wales manager had been seen as an outsider for the job, but ahead of the World Cup play-off tie against Bosnia and Herzegovina later this month, the odds have taken a twist.

One major bookmaker has slashed Bellamy’s odds of taking over to 6/1, while Askou (2/1), Keane (5/4) and Martinez (4/1) remain ahead.

Bellamy holds Celtic regret from loan spell

Bellamy signed for Celtic on loan from Newcastle United in January 2005, enjoying a superb four months in Glasgow.

He scored in games against Hibernian, Rangers, Aberdeen, Inverness and Hearts, even netting a hat-trick against Dundee United.

Bellamy featured as Celtic won the Scottish Cup, and it should have been a day to celebrate a double, had the events of the previous week gone differently.

The Hoops had needed to beat Motherwell at Fir Park to win the league, and were leading 1-0 in the 88th minute before Scott McDonald netted an unbelievable two-minute brace to send the title to Rangers instead.

A helicopter that had been carrying the trophy to Fir Park was forced to make a sudden U-turn, dubbing the day ‘Helicopter Sunday’.

“They tried everything to get me to stay but it just wasn’t possible because Newcastle weren’t going to loan me again and Celtic could only do that,” Bellamy told the Central Club podcast in 2022.

“But I had done it [the derby]. Even when I watch it on TV now I’m like ‘I was there’. I got to experience it and in a good team as well. We lost the league on the last day and it’s still numbing now.

“To see that helicopter coming around, we’re one minute away from winning the league and then we concede. It just went silent, the helicopter went and the fans didn’t know what to do.

“It was just over that quick. Credit to Rangers they won the league that year, we didn’t lose it.”