Celtic’s hunt to replace Neil Lennon in the dugout at Parkhead hasn’t exactly been a very straightforward affair.
The Hoops have been in contact with several managers but Dermot Desmond is struggling to conclude a deal.
It’s thought that the Bhoys have been in advanced discussions with Eddie Howe and although a move seems to be reaching a conclusion, there could be more twists and turns to come.
After all, following the announcement that Jose Mourinho will take over as Roma manager next term, it leaves their current boss Paulo Fonseca looking for work.
Reports claim that he’s been offered to both Celtic and Tottenham, but Desmond must ensure that his side are at the front of the queue.
Hailing from Portugal, the 48-year-old views Mourinho as one of his biggest influences but their style of football differs considerably.
While the self-proclaimed Special One has become a defensive coach, Fonseca likes his teams to play with breakneck intensity and with an attacking nature, something that could suit Celtic domestically.
The Portuguese’s philosophy revolves around a neat and tidy game, relying on short and simple passes to advance possession. That said, the intensity at which Roma and Shakhtar Donetsk have played under him shows that mentally and physically, there are plenty of demands.
Fonseca relentlessly talks about the need to be “brave” when it comes to playing football. When he arrived at Roma, he said: “I have my ideas and I want to implement them, but the main thing is to build a brave team. That’s the main objective and I believe with these players, we can build a brave team without any problems against the biggest teams, the small teams.”
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This is particularly encouraging for the Hoops. After all, they have lacked a strong-willed mentality and instead of being brave, look completely scared.
Fonseca’s flexibility is also an attractive quality. He won seven out of nine major honours during three years in Ukraine while he also made them a tricky side to break down in Europe.
Given how Celtic crashed out of both European cups this term, that should be music to the ears of the club’s hierarchy. After Manchester City faced his Shakhtar side, he left Pep Guardiola wowed.
“Before every game against Shakhtar, I have the same feeling,” Guardiola began.
“The first time we face them in the group stage, my [scouting] team went to see them and they came back saying, ‘Wow.’ They were really impressed. In Barcelona all the time it was, ‘Shakhtar, Ukraine, who cares which players play, nobody knows them.’”
The Spaniard concluded: “I can assure you it was one of the best teams in terms of playing football. It was so tough for me. For Barcelona, Bayern, we had good results but it was tough. I have a lot of respect for them.”
This all comes back to the mentality and intensity that Fonseca instils within his players.
Also crucial for the Bhoys could be his cutting-edge training philosophy. Over the last few years Lennon continued to use Brendan Rodgers’ methods at Lennoxtown so what Celtic require now is a fresh change of direction.
Fonseca has personalised training schedules which was particularly helpful in turning around the fortunes of Javier Pastore before his ankle fracture last season.
Considering how many of Celtic’s players have underperformed this term, notably Ryan Christie, he could also help to rejuvenate plenty of careers in Glasgow.
There are plenty of plus points to hiring the 48-year-old this summer. With the experience of dominating domestically and competing well in Europe, he feels more equipped to deal with the current issues at Celtic than Howe.
Desmond could well revive the Bhoys with this appointment.