Peterborough United’s Director of Football, Barry Fry, has corroborated Celtic’s maintained keenness on appointing Eddie Howe as the Bhoys’ new boss – despite the Englishman reportedly stalling on penning terms.
Previous reports have claimed that Eddie Howe and his entourage have agreed a deal in principle with Celtic for the ex-Bournemouth man following talks in London, but fresh rumours have claimed Howe is not rushing over any decision.
His hesitation could be caused by sustained links with Premier League side Crystal Palace, whose current manager, Roy Hodgson, is out of contract in the summer.
A return to the Premier League with a London-based side could be attractive to Howe, who spent five seasons in the English top division managing Bournemouth. He has reportedly held initial talks with the Eagles.
Speaking to Football FanCast, Fry reiterated Celtic’s enthusiasm for Howe as doubts swirl: “I understand they’ve had talks with Eddie and his representatives already and I think Celtic would love to have Eddie and everybody connected with Celtic would love for him to go there.”
The imminent early arrival of incoming executive Dominic McKay could be an indicator that regardless of whether the 41-year-old is on his way to Parkhead or not, Celtic are eager to hit the ground running in terms of reinvigorating their sporting plans.
Having been denied a tenth consecutive league title at the hands of arch-rivals Rangers, McKay’s fast-tracked arrival could be a sign that the Celtic board are buying themselves as much time as possible.
That could be a strong indicator that Howe could indeed be on his way to Glasgow.
It remains to be seen whether their perceived fondness of Howe will lead to the ex-Cherries boss walking into Parkhead as the new manager, though despite the lack of concrete indications from either side, it seems that the 43-year-old is firmly in the running for the vacancy.
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