Celtic fans have been speculating over the prospect of Marvin Bartley joining the club.
The midfielder will be 35 in July, a year younger than Scott Brown but it is his career down south and links with Eddie Howe that are most interesting.
Alan Stubbs took the midfielder to Hibs in 2015 where he also worked under Neil Lennon, over the last few years he has been a regular BBC pundit as well as a key member of the Livingston side that reached the final of this season’s Betfred Cup.
Last night Celtic Underground, with almost 70,000 Twitter followers, made a rare visit to Social Media by tweeting the link to Bartley’s Wiki page.
Straight away the Howe connections leap out. After turning out for four non-league clubs he was given his chance in the Football League at Bournemouth where Howe was cutting his teeth after being forced into early retirement through injury.
The most important link was in 2011 when he followed Howe to Burnley after over 100 Bournemouth appearances. That suggests a very strong mutual respect between the two men.
For over a month the former Bournemouth and Burnley boss has been the name most linked with the Celtic job, last week the Daily Mail claimed that Howe was putting together his backroom squad for Celtic.
Today’s ?@ScotMailSport? back page… pic.twitter.com/f7ys4Sa9pq
— Sportsmail (@ScotMailSport) April 28, 2021
With six years experience of the Scottish game Bartley would be an obvious choice to provide an on the ground report on Scottish football and what Howe would be inheriting as Celtic manager.
The 43-year-old hasn’t had many links to the Scottish game, at Bournemouth he signed Ryan Fraser from Aberdeen in 2013 with Peter Grant and Mark Burchill also crossing his path.
With just two matches left this season the expectations of a managerial appointment from Celtic fans is growing. If it is Howe it looks very likely that Bartley will be part of the coaching team charged with reviving Celtic’s fortunes after a season that no one dared predict.
— Celtic Underground* (@celticrumours) May 3, 2021
I assume this is based on (a) he played for Howe and (b) he knows the league?
Seems a stretch tbh
— Land_ahoy (@land_ahoy_) May 3, 2021
Heard of him and Peter Grant
— Aidan (@AidoM67) May 3, 2021
Also explains why he’s being nice about us in the press today (Macgregor should have been let off etc. ) when hes@normally very negative about us.
— Andydlgray (@andydlgray) May 3, 2021
Not sure how he would fit us in with all his media work the bbc.
— Paul McGuire (@paulconmcguire) May 3, 2021
Surely only in a coaching role? He’s got big previous with Eddie Howe. He’s smart and knows the league.
— Wieghorstman of the Apocalypse (@Wieghorst98) May 3, 2021
Marvin Bartley having anything to do with the club suggests Howe should not be anywhere near Celtic!
— bogbhoy (@Bogbhoy) May 3, 2021
Marvin Bartley? You’d have to hope that would be as some sort of coach, and not as a player?
— Jungas (@JimmyJungas) May 3, 2021