John Hartson has urged the Celtic board to end uncertainty over the manager’s job by giving it to Neil Lennon on a permanent basis.
Assuming that Lennon steers Celtic to the SPFL title the qualification matches for the 2019/20 Champions League is just four months away.
Whoever is in charge of Celtic has a massive task to carry out with a number of key players in on loan and the clock ticking down on the contracts of Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig.
A major rebuilding job is required with the shadow of Brendan Rodgers expected to be interested in some of the players that he left behind when he moved to Leicester.
In the Evening Times, Hartson states:
Who else are you going to get in? I don’t see too many Premier League or credible European managers out there who would not cost a fortune to get in – and want a fortune to spend in the transfer market.
I’ve heard a few people mention Davie Moyes. Davie Moyes? Give me a break. The job should be Lennon’s.
Celtic have a huge rebuilding job facing them this summer. You have a significant part of the team who will go. Dedryck Boyata is reported to be on Brendan Rodgers’ wanted list at Leicester but regardless of whether that is accurate or not, he will leave Celtic. Filip Benkovic will go back to Leicester as was always the plan so right away you are looking at Champions League qualifiers without a central defence.
Making a call now on the job would enable all that planning to start now. Who do you want to keep, who is going and who are your targets that you want to get in, and get in quickly.
There’s also things like summer training camps, pre-season games, all sorts of things that will need attention and ideally you want the manager who is walking out into those crucial qualification games to sort them.
Lennon left Hibs in January after two and a half years in charge of the Edinburgh side and instantly guided Celtic to crucial wins back in the capital.
The current caretaker is steering well clear from discussing his own future but is clearly the front runner for the job vacated by the sudden departure of Rodgers.
If Lennon was to guide Celtic to two more trophies this season it would be almost impossible for the board to look elsewhere for a permanent manager.
Lennon set to get striker boost @videocelts https://t.co/VXVa12Z8nx
— Celtic news now (@Celticnewsnow) March 4, 2019