Steve Clarke has already hinted at Celtic appointment amid huge managerial twist
Steve Clarke has already hinted that he would be open to taking the manager’s job at Celtic.
The 62-year-old is preparing to lead Scotland at the World Cup in the summer, at the same time as the Bhoys are trying to find their successor to Martin O’Neill.
O’Neill is in interim charge of Celtic until the end of the season, after he was swiftly reinstated to his role at the end of Wilfried Nancy’s disastrous spell at the helm at Parkhead.
The Glasgow giants are set to battle bitter rivals Rangers and Hearts for the Premiership title, but O’Neill has already made it clear that he is not the long-term future of the club in the dugout.
Steve Clarke’s past comments show Celtic admiration
Clarke emerged as one of the favourites for the Celtic job on Wednesday, as he saw his odds drastically cut by one major bookmaker.
The former Kilmarnock chief is now the joint-third favourite to step into the dugout at Celtic Park next season, amid the possibility that he could leave his post with Scotland at the end of this summer’s World Cup.
Clarke’s emergence into contention for the Celtic position serves as a huge twist in their hunt for their next permanent manager, and his previous comments suggest that he would jump at the chance to take the job if it were offered to him.
The former Chelsea assistant coach didn’t hide his admiration of Celtic during his time in charge of Kilmarnock in 2019, as he labelled them as the team who “sets the standard in Scottish football,” according to The Scotsman.
He also suggested that his job as the leader of another Premiership team was to try and get as close to the standard set by the Bhoys as possible, which showed the drive that he possesses as a boss.
Given Clarke’s ambitious nature and the fact that he views Celtic as the gold standard for Scottish football, that is surely a clear indication that he would be willing to take on the role if he got the chance.
Celtic appointment won’t be confirmed until July
Football Insider revealed last week that Celtic are willing to wait until after the World Cup to potentially have the chance of appointing Roberto Martinez, and they will face a similar situation if they opt to pursue Clarke.
The final in North America doesn’t take place until June 19, and with that in mind, it seems highly unlikely that Celtic will have a manager in place before July at the earliest.
Given that several of their current candidates are taking charge of teams in the tournament, they will surely be keen to wait until they have had a chance to speak to every possible option that is available to them.
Even if the Bhoys end up in qualfying for the Champions League, their first competitive games of the campaign won’t come until the end of July, which would still give a new man plenty of time to get his feet under the table.