Jim White names the three candidates that are in the frame for Celtic job – originally posted on Sportslens.com
Manager Neil Lennon has parted ways with Celtic this morning with the Scottish Premiership giants 18 points behind bitter city rivals Rangers in the league table.
The Ibrox outfit are just seven points away from winning the title having picked up 26 wins and four draws in 30 games, and Sunday’s 1-0 defeat at Ross County was the final straw for Lennon.
He led the Hoops to 19 wins, seven draws and four losses, and that run is clearly not good enough to win a 10th consecutive Scottish Premiership title.
Celtic assistant manager John Kennedy will take interim charge of first-team duties, and the Parkhead outfit will be keen to bring in someone that can hit the ground running as Lennon’s replacement.
According to Sky Sports journalist Jim White, Steve Clarke, Rafa Benitez and Roberto Martinez are in the frame for the Celtic job, and it will be interesting to see is any of them are appointed.
So Neil Lennon parts company with @CelticFC – Clarke, Benitez, Martinez three names in the frame.
Reaction from John Hartson on @talkSPORT from 10.— Jim White (@JimWhite) February 24, 2021
Clarke is currently preparing Scotland for the forthcoming European Championships, and it is hard to see him stepping down from the job to take charge of Celtic.
Benitez is currently available after leaving Chinese Super League outfit Dalian Pro in January, but whether the former Liverpool and Real Madrid boss will be keen to move to Parkhead is debatable.
The Spaniard will not be short of options given his experience and quality, and settling for the Celtic job just does not look feasible.
Martinez would love to return to club football, but he is currently the manager of the Belgium national team and will be keen to wait until after the Euros before considering offers.
Celtic will not be short of applications for the job, though, and their next manager must be ready to stop Rangers from winning the title next season.
In other news, here is how Celtic fans have reacted to Lennon’s exit.