Neil Lennon has revealed that Ronny Deila was set to replace Johan Mjallby as his assistant manager.
The Stromgodset boss arrived in Glasgow last night with Peter Lawwell and is expected to complete the paperwork to take over from Lennon later today.
Mjallby’s decision to step down was the first hint that changes were coming at Celtic with Lennon stepping down two weeks after the season ended.
“He was going to be brought in as No 2 when Johann Mjallby left,” Lennon revealed about Deila in an interview with the Irish Independent.
“He came highly recommended, he’s highly thought of. I don’t know if it’s confirmed with Celtic yet, but I know from contacts in the game that he is well respected as a coach.
“We recruited Stefan Johansen from Stromsgodset, so we were aware of his work. It’ll be interesting to see if Ronny gets the job.”
A week ago Roy Keane seemed set to takeover with the departing hoops boss surprised that the Ireland assistant resisted a move to Glasgow.
“I was surprised and a little bit disappointed,” Lennon said about Keane’s decision. “I think he’s ready for it. He’s had, what, three years since he was out of the game as a manager and he’s been watching a lot of games, he’s been at Champions League games, and he’s got vast experience.
“He fits the identikit of a Celtic manager. I can totally understand his situation, that it’s a personal decision, but I was hoping he would take it. He would have given the club a big lift.”
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