Celtic told they why they face summer struggle to attract manager as club urged to ‘sound out’ ex-Parkhead duo

Twice stepping into the breach at Celtic Park following the resignation of Brendan Rodgers in October and the sacking of Wilfried Nancy in January, the 74-year-old boss worked wonders at Celtic Park this season by securing a domestic double, but could depart this summer as the Parkhead hierarchy considers a younger manager to take the club forward.

However, Celtic have been warned that their reluctance to spend big in the transfer market in recent times will mean they’ll struggle to convince big-name managers to join the club, with former English Premier League star Chris Waddle believing this played a role in Rodgers' resignation earlier this season.

“Celtic may struggle to attract a top manager this summer because they don’t want to spend money on the team,” said Waddle. “Brendan Rodgers went back to Celtic after leaving Leicester City and thought if they’re not going to buy players, I’m off. Martin O’Neill came in to hold the fort. They tried Wilfried Nancy and that didn’t work. Now, by the looks of it, they don’t seem to want to spend more money, and that’s why they had such a funny season.

“Will it change again this year? We don’t know, so managers who may look at that job might think twice if they won’t be given any money to spend, and the players they do have at Celtic are only getting older. They might need to sell a couple to raise money so it’s no longer an easy job managing Celtic.

“I’m sure there are managers thinking they can take the Celtic job, win the league, win a few cups, but if you haven’t got the money to strengthen your squad, and it does need strengthening, you can see why a lot of names will decide it’s not for them.”

Waddle, 65, thinks that one of the key men tasked with appointing Celtic’s new manager, the largest shareholder Dermot Desmond, should consider rolling back the years once again, as they did with O’Neill, when it comes to appointing their next manager if they want to stick to their current transfer model.

“I’m surprised they aren’t talking to people like Roy Keane,” Waddle told BoyleSports. “Or go back to Neil Lennon, who has had a great year with Dunfermline. He got them firing and I know he lost in the playoffs to Partick Thistle but he has been getting the best out of his players he’s got, which is an amazing achievement given the budget he’s working with there.

“He did a good job last time he was Celtic manager. He's more experienced this time. Whether he wants to go back in at Celtic is another matter. Maybe he hopes to get a Premier League or a Championship job in England. But I think there’s a lot of options for Celtic if they wanted to go down the road of a former player.”

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