Darren O’Dea is among the favourites to land the vacant manager’s job at Ayr United.
Earlier this week Jim Duffy became the second manager to be backed by the club after David Hopkins was removed earlier in the season.
Former Hibs Sporting Director Graeme Mathie is now running the show at Somerset Park with big changes expected as the club attempts to get out of the Championship relegation battle.
O’Dea was playing in the Premiership with Dundee less than three years ago but quit playing to take up a coaching role at Motherwell before quickly moving on to Celtic where he is now working alongside Tommy McIntyre with the B team in the Lowland League.
The Sun reports:
AYR UNITED are eyeing an ambitious move for Celtic B team coach Darren O’Dea. The Championship club parted company with boss Jim Duffy on Monday.
New managing director Graeme Mathie is leading the search for his successor and it’s understood O’Dea is on their radar. The Celtic coach, 34, is already among the bookies’ favourites for the Somerset Park gig.
O’Dea is tipped for a bright future in management after making swift progress since retiring in 2019. Irishman O’Dea is highly rated at Parkhead and recently moved up to the B team from the under-18s.
At the age of 34 it would be a fairly big risk for O’Dea to leave Celtic for a Championship relegation battle, at the halfway stage seven points separate the bottom five clubs with Ayr a point ahead of Dunfermline and two clear of bottom placed Morton.
O’Dea will have noticed Shaun Maloney, who had a similar job at Celtic, getting the manager’s job at Hibs but Ayr United looks a much more dangerous move than taking over from Jack Ross at Easter Road.
