Neil Lennon hasn’t done much wrong since he took over at Parkhead and quite a few people are expecting him to take over permanently in the summer. The fact that he has had a discussion with the club regarding transfer plans for the summer suggests that Lennon would stay beyond this season.
However, former Scottish football player and Patrick Thistle manager Gerry Collins believe that isn’t going to be the case as he revealed in a Rock Sport Radio talk show that Roberto Martinez might take over the top job at Celtic Park for the upcoming season. He was quoted as saying, ”I genuinely believe Martinez and Shaun Maloney [will be hired]. I don’t think the deal is done; I think they’re still negotiating on that deal.”
”If it’s Neil Lennon fine, then Neil Lennon can maybe go and get their 10-in-a-row, but the character of whoever comes in has got to be a hero. If it’s not Lenny, I think it’s Martinez, along with Shaun Maloney. He’s the type of manager that Celtic want, he plays good football.”
Around ten days back, reports from the Scottish Sun came out that odds of Martinez becoming the next Celtic manager was slashed, and he was named as the second favourite behind Neil Lennon. Therefore the words of Collins can’t be taken lightly here, and maybe the Hoops are in fact in negotiation with the Belgium boss.
Martinez is known to play an attractive and attacking brand of football, and he was famous for his FA Cup triumph with Wigan Athletic where his side defeated some Premier League heavyweights. He got his big break at Everton, but his stint with the Merseyside club would be classified as unsuccessful.
Often the consensus was that Martinez was naive as a manager as he insisted on playing an extravagant brand of football which didn’t help his side defensively. However, we feel that the Spanish tactician has instilled a bit of pragmatism in his approach as his side Belgium did well in the World Cup and finished third.
Martinez’s brand of football would bring Parkhead to its feet, and we feel that this would be a top appointment from the board. However, if Lennon goes on to deliver the treble, it would be tough to look beyond him. Someone like Lennon knows the club inside out. On the other hand, Martinez might take some time to settle in Glasgow. Nevertheless, he remains a top option in our opinion, and many fans would be excited to see him take the top job.
