If and when a new manager is announced at Celtic, fans will finally be able to sit back and breathe a huge sigh of relief.
This has been a testing time for the Parkhead faithful but there could be a light at the end of the tunnel in the near future.
What’s the word?
Celtic are closing in on the appointment of Eddie Howe with a deal reportedly agreed between the two parties for him to arrive in Glasgow.
The board have been pressed to wrap things up quickly but it has now been an arduous three months since Neil Lennon resigned from his position.
However, it now looks as though they’re heading towards a position where they can formally announce the appointment of a new boss.
That’s according to the Celtic hierarchy themselves who in a statement on Wednesday afternoon, wrote the following: “We understand how difficult this year has been for you and understand the disappointment you have felt, it is something shared by us all at the Club.
“We had hoped to have announced the Manager before providing this update, and we do intend to finalise the appointment of the next Celtic Manager shortly, however we have been encouraged by the recent announcement of crowds at sporting events across Scotland this summer.”
Timely appointment
The fact that Celtic are finally closing in on the hire of a new manager should leave supporters buzzing.
They haven’t had much excitement this season with a trophyless campaign but this will do enough to whet the appetite ahead of the new season.
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It should also fill them with enthusiasm ahead of the transfer window. No longer will the recruitment think tank include Neil Lennon, Nick Hammond or Peter Lawwell.
Instead, it will be made up of Howe, Dominic McKay and whoever the club’s new director of football is.
Celtic’s recruitment was incredibly abject last summer with the best part of £9.5m being wasted on the error-prone Vasilis Barkas and the sluggish Albian Ajeti, someone who scored just six times all season.
Having someone in place ahead of the transfer window opening has been a necessity and if you believe the word of the club, everything should be concluded before then.
With so much to address and fix, it was absolutely imperative that Howe was in place before it actually opened.
Considering Kristoffer Ajer and Odsonne Edouard are likely to leave, they’ll need to identify replacements swiftly. Without a new head coach, identifying new faces would have been virtually impossible. Thus, having Howe in place will certainly help kick start proceedings on the transfer front.
This is exceptional news for everybody at the club.