Next Celtic Manager Odds: The Main Contenders To Lead The Hoops Next Season
The Scottish Premiership title race is one of the most exciting in the competition’s history, with just three points separating leaders Hearts from Old Firm rivals Celtic and Rangers.
Martin O’Neill is in charge of the Hoops until the end of the season as he sets his sights on his first title with the Glasgow giants in 22 years.
Celtic are just two points behind the Jambos with eight games remaining following their comeback win against Motherwell, whose head coach Jens Berthel Askou is one of the favourites on betting sites to be appointed permanent manager
O’Neill is not out of the running, though, so here are the latest next Celtic manager odds as the season reaches its climax.
Parkhead Return For Keane?
Celtic fan Robbie Keane enjoyed a successful loan spell at Parkhead from Tottenham in 2010, but he is now making waves as a manager.
The former Republic of Ireland international won back-to-back titles in Israel and Hungary with Maccabi Tel Aviv and his current club Ferencvaros respectively and he is close to making it a hat-trick this season.
Fradi are just one point behind leaders Gyori in the Nemzeti Bajnoksag table, but have a game in hand and they have a great chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
Many Hoops fans were disappointed he took the job in Israel because of the country’s treatment of Palestinians, but he is the 13/8 favourite with William Hill to return to Glasgow.
Next Celtic Manager Odds:
Manager | Odds | Betting Site |
|---|---|---|
Robbie Keane | 13/8 | |
Jens Berthel Askou | 2/1 | |
Roberto Martinez | 4/1 | |
Craig Bellamy | 10/1 | |
Martin O'Neill | 12/1 | |
Ange Postecoglou | 14/1 | |
Steve Clarke | 14/1 | |
Shaun Maloney | 16/1 | |
Kieran McKenna | 20/1 | |
Kjetil Knutsen | 20/1 |
Next Celtic Manager Odds: Askou Well Placed For Bhoys Role
The appointment of Askou in the summer proved to be a masterstroke and he is the 2/1 second favourite to take over at Parkhead at the end of the season.
Last month, Well guaranteed a top-six finish in the SPL for the first time in five years and they have a realistic chance of playing in Europe in the 2026/27 campaign.
Six points clear of fifth-placed Hibs and just eight behind Celtic, Motherwell even have a faint chance of playing in next season’s Champions League qualifiers, but will the Dane be there to oversee it?
Motherwell take risks in bringing the ball out from the back, but they are regarded as one of the most exciting teams to watch in Scotland.
His no-blame approach and sharp tactical nous would endear him to Celtic fans and it is no surprise to see Askou as a leading contender for one of the biggest jobs in Scottish football.
Scottish Connection For Martinez
Martinez's focus is on leading Portugal at the World Cup, but his contract ends in the summer and he will be looking at his options if the five weeks in North America prove to be unsuccessful.
The Spaniard famously won the FA Cup as Wigan manager in 2011 and more recently oversaw Portugal's second Nations League success with a penalty shoot-out victory over Spain last year.
He was also in charge of Belgium when they reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, 10 years after steering Swansea to the Championship, so he has a reasonably successful CV.
Martinez's wife is Scottish, so the stars seem to be aligning for him to take charge of Celtic next season, which can now be backed at 4/1 with Bet365, up from 11/10 in January.
Bellamy A Leading Candidate
Craig Bellamy is preparing the Wales national team for their World Cup play-off with Bosnia-Herzegovina later this month and a likely decider against Italy if they are successful.
Bellamy, like Keane, had a loan spell with Celtic, scoring seven goals in 12 appearances in 2005 – the year the Hoops lost the title on the final day of the season.
The Welshman has never coached a club before, which may count against him, but he has done well to get Wales into the play-offs and seems to be highly respected by Celtic’s board.
Bellamy can be backed at 10/1 with William Hill to end up at Parkhead.
O’Neill Fifth In Line
O’Neill had a highly successful five-year spell in charge of Celtic between 2000-05, during which he won the title three times in addition to three Scottish Cups and one League Cup.
The 74-year-old Northern Irishman has never explicitly said that he wants the job on a permanent basis and has repeatedly stated that the position he holds is a short-term one only.
However, should Celtic pip Hearts and Rangers to the title in May, the former Leicester and Aston Villa manager would surely be in the running for another spell, despite his age.
O’Neill is 12/1 with William Hill to be in the Celtic Park dugout for next season.
Postecoglou An Outsider
Ange Postecoglou won five of the six domestic trophies available during his two years at Celtic and is available again after a mixed spell in the Premier League.
The Australian won the SPL title twice in 2022 and 2023, but left the club to join Tottenham where he finished fifth in his debut season and won the Europa League in the following campaign.
However, Spurs finished one place above the relegation zone in the same season and he was eventually sacked in the summer and replaced by Thomas Frank.
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His short-lived spell at Nottingham Forest was unequivocally disastrous, lasting just 39 days during which he failed to win any of his eight matches.
The majority of Celtic fans would probably welcome back Postecoglou in a heartbeat, although the fear that success would spark another move could play on the minds of the board.
Postecoglou is 14/1 to return to Paradise, the same price as Scotlland manager Steve Clarke, who is busy preparing the national side for their World Cup campaign in North America.
Maloney An Outsider
Shaun Maloney is assisting O’Neill with first-team duties and although he is highly respected at Celtic, the former Wigan boss is 16/1 to get the job.
Elsewhere, Ipswich manager Kieran McKenna, who had been one of the favourites to replace Brendan Rodgers when he left for a second time earlier in the season, is now available at 20/1.
Kjetil Knutsen is enjoying spectacular success with Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League and is also 20/1 for the Bhoys job.
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