We can all see that most transfer rumours don’t come true, so it tends to be the case that somebody somewhere benefits from certain information being leaked to the media.
Generally it’s used to try and put pressure on someone or a club to make a quick decision, and we might be seeing that just now with Eddie Howe.
He’s still widely expected to take the Celtic job next season but there will always be rumours of him getting a Premier League job, and some reports today have suggested that he could still get a job down south.
As a result it now seems like he’s holding off from committing to Celtic just now, but it’s not clear if the delay is just down to the usual process of ironing out the finer details or if he’s actually holding out to see what else is out there.
READ MORE: Frank McAvennie Claims That Eddie Howe Won’t Take The Celtic Job
There’s also the question over the Director of Football appointment as the report also claims that he wants Richard Hughes to get the role, but it would make more sense for Celtic to have someone else come in to oversee a long-term strategy just in case Howe leaves after a couple of years.
There was a danger that Celtic could be left looking weak and even desperate as a result of this, so it’s important that they fought back with a rumour of their own which suggested that they do have alternatives if needed – and that’s happened this afternoon amid reports that Lucien Favre has now been approached over the role.
There’s every chance that this is the club sounding out an alternative in case their main plan falls through, but it does look like it’s been done to create the illusion of interest in other managers in an attempt to force Howe to make his mind up.
It still feels like Howe will be the next Celtic manager, but if the leaks like this get stronger in the next few days then it does hint that it might not be his first choice after all.