Celtic may be closing in on the appointment of Eddie Howe, but judging by the number of twists and turns which have occurred in the Bhoys’ hunt to find a new manager, don’t rule anything out just yet.
Earlier this week, it was reported that the Hoops had been offered the chance to lure Paulo Fonseca to Glasgow. He is due to be replaced as manager of Roma by Jose Mourinho next term and will duly be available at no added compensation fee.
It would be an interesting appointment for a number of reasons. Capable of dominating domestically and causing danger in Europe, he could offer an element of flexibility which has been missing from the Celtic tactics board.
He would also deliver an aesthetically pleasing brand of football, one which could help to revive their fortunes. Fonseca has preferred a style of play which consists of short and crisp passing at a swashbuckling intensity.
He likes his teams to play on the front foot and, with that in mind, he has caught the eye of Pep Guardiola. The Manchester City boss and his scouting team were left wowed by the 48-year-old for what he achieved at Shakhtar Donestk.
When in Ukraine, Fonseca won seven out of nine major honours while playing a particularly attacking style.
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He had the pleasure of coaching Brazilian trio Taison, Marlos and Junior Moraes in Donetsk. They all flourished under the guidance of Fonseca, who witnessed them score a combined 88 goals.
They were a particularly tricky attack to handle but it was the manager’s tactics which ensured that everything worked like clockwork.
This could benefit Celtic on the field of play, but it also shows why they must sign Kristijan Lovric this summer. The Hoops were interested in signing the Croatian winger last summer after having a bid knocked back for his services in 2019.
He would be an astute capture and, under Fonseca, it could be a mouth-watering combination.
The 25-year-old has racked up 44 goals for current side HNK Gorica, 18 of which have been scored this season. He is a ruthless attacker with pace to burn and dribbling abilities to frighten the life out of a full-back.
At one point this season, Lovric had managed five dribbles and five shots per 90 minutes. The Croat had also produced 5.37 successful attacking actions over the same metric.
Speaking last year, HNTV commentator Damir Petravic said: “He dribbles and scores in the style of Robben, shoots free throws like Pirlo or Pjanic, and knows how to sprint like Mbappe.”
With a player like that at Fonseca’s disposal, it could be a recipe for success at Celtic. He knows how to get the most out of goal-scoring wingers; Dominic McKay now just has to try and combine the two together at Paradise.