Martin O'Neill set to stay on as Celtic manager as details emerge of fresh deal
Veteran boss expected to pen one-year deal for next season
Celtic are set to announce Martin O’Neill as their permanent manager after the Northern Irishman agreed to stay on his role.
O’Neill met Celtic majority shareholder Dermot Desmond earlier this week and the Northern Irishman is expected to sign a one-year deal to preside over first-team matters next season.
Celtic turned to O’Neill not once but twice during a tumultuous 2025/26 campaign, which culminated in the club landing the Premiership title and the Scottish Cup. O’Neill took over after the resignation of Brendan Rodgers in October last year and then the sacking of Wilfried Nancy in January.
After a stunning and silverware-clad end to the campaign, Celtic have decided to stick with O’Neill and after productive discussions between all parties, a formal announcement is imminent.
Celtic also held talks with former Ferencvaros and Maccabi Tel Aviv head coach Robbie Keane, but faced a backlash from sections of the fanbase due to his time working in Israel. The Green Brigade released a statement showing their opposition to Keane, while other prominent organisations protested against his potential appointment.
The continuation of O’Neill’s tenure is likely to go down far better with Celtic supporters after he galvanised a struggling squad and led them on a nine-game unbeaten run to land a domestic double. His assistant Shaun Maloney and coach Mark Fotheringham are also expected to be given major roles within the coaching set-up at the Lennoxtown training base.
O’Neill had intimated before the end of the season that he would call it a day after the Scottish Cup final, but after taking some time away from football and discuss matters with his family, he has opted to continue as Celtic manager.
Attention will now turn to the summer transfer window, with Celtic expected to be very active ahead of the domestic season commencing at the start of August. The club also has a Champions League play-off to navigate later that month, in which they will be seeded.
As well as needing to freshen up the squad across all positions, Celtic are set to field bids for some of their key players. Japanese forward Daizen Maeda was close to departing last season after Wolfsburg showed major interest, while the club knocked by multiple bids in the region of £20 million from Nottingham Forest in the winter transfer window for Arne Engels.
There is also expected to be interest in midfielder Benjamin Nygren, who is at the World Cup with Sweden.
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