It seems that Motherwell manager Jens Berthel Askou now leads the race to become the next head coach of Celtic. His odds with the bookies have dropped drastically, with old favourite Roberto Martinez dropping from the top spot.
Martinez was leading the charts for weeks. The Portugal head coach is expected to move on from his role after the World Cup and would have been a brilliant option for Celtic.
With the Hoops potentially looking to appoint a manager sooner than he may have been available, that always knocked him down a bit, and after the phenomenal job that Berthel Askou has done at the Well, it seemed inevitable that he would be in the running.
Some supporters are disappointed at the possibility of this appointment though, as they want Celtic to aim higher than a manager from the Scottish Premiership. That logic is flawed though, because Derek McInnes was appointed by Hearts from fellow Scottish side Kilmarnock, and he could potentially take them to a massive league title.
If the talent in our league is good, then why shouldn’t we look there? We don’t always need to appoint someone from abroad for them to do a good job in the dugout. It’s as simple as that.
The deal isn’t done
Bookies and the media would have you believe the appointment is essentially done, but that isn’t true. For one, we don’t know how interested Berthel Askou would be in the job, and secondly, there is still plenty of the season left to play.
People suspected that because Berthel Askou was spotted at Celtic Park, he had basically already accepted. That isn’t true, as managers and players attend games that don’t involve their own club all of the time. Martin O’Neill has even been in attendance at Fir Park this season, yet we doubt he’ll be on his way to the club next season.
A lot of pundits, such as Record Sport’s Michael Gannon and Craig Swan, are doubting that the manager will stay at Motherwell next season, and that could be true. Unless he decides to be loyal to the club, his team’s performances this season will definitely attract interest in him, and it could be hard to turn down a move should one come from a higher-ranking league.
The same pundits who are suggesting he’d move are also thinking that he may not have enough experience to take the helm at Celtic just yet. But, this may be his only chance. So, if he’s offered the job, he would likely take it. This would certainly be to the dismay of Motherwell fans.