John Hartson has revealed that he knows there are four or five candidates in contention for the Celtic job aside from Neil Lennon.
Lennon is currently at the helm at Parkhead in an interim role, but Hartson has suggested that there are a number of other candidates in the frame for a the permanent job.
As quoted in the Daily Star, he said: “All Neil can do is bring it all home in terms of the Treble.
“Then he can go, ‘Don’t give this job to me at your peril’. I would like Neil to continue as manager but there are candidates out there.
“There’s four or five but I won’t say who they are. I know they would come to Celtic and do a great job, though. Neil would also do a great job – it just comes down to whether he’d get the decision.”
OPINION
It’s probably not too comforting for Lennon to hear that there are a number of other candidates in contention for his job, but it won’t come as too much of a surprise. Even if he manages to win the triple treble this season, and he is well on track to do so, there is the distinct possibility that the board will see the appointment of a man they have previously parted company with as a step backwards. The way that his side have been playing hasn’t exactly helped his cause, and the Hoops have looked stilted and unimaginative at times during his tenure. That will hardly fill anybody with optimism, but at the end of the day, this is a results business, and if he can put together enough wins to secure trophies, that will put him in very good stead with those who get to make the final decision on his future.