Celtic’s search for a long-term successor to Brendan Rodgers has taken another intriguing twist, with reports in the Netherlands claiming that Mark van Bommel has turned down an approach…
According to De Telegraaf Mark van Bommel, the former Dutch international was offered the chance to replace Rodgers but opted to reject Celtic’s advances for family reasons. Van Bommel is said to be focused on supporting his son Ruben, a PSV Eindhoven winger currently sidelined after cruciate ligament surgery.
Van Bommel’s agent, José Fortes Rodriguez, confirmed the interest but would not elaborate, telling De Telegraaf only “That’s right,” when asked whether the ex-Royal Antwerp boss, who oversaw the Belgian club’s first title win in 66 years, had received offers from Celtic and several Middle Eastern clubs. The 2010 World Cup finalist reportedly turned down four opportunities to return to management, including lucrative proposals from abroad.
The former Bayern Munich and Barcelona midfielder enjoyed a successful stint at Antwerp, guiding the Belgian side to a league and cup double in 2023, and remains highly regarded across Europe. It seems the Dutchman has not ruled out a return to the dugout next season, with a preference to remain in Europe. Should Celtic’s position still be open come summer 2026, Van Bommel could perhaps emerge as a leading contender once again.
In the meantime, Celtic have turned to familiar faces to steady the ship, Martin O’Neill, alongside assistant Shaun Maloney, and the pair have immediately lifted the mood around the club.
O’Neill’s return began with a convincing 4-0 win over Falkirk at Celtic Park, followed by a 3-1 triumph over theRangers to book a place in the Scottish League Cup final. It’s been a revitalising start, the kind that sparks discussion over whether the interim pairing might remain in charge beyond the short term.
Celtic’s hierarchy have previously maintained that mid-season managerial appointments rarely produce ideal candidates. The last time the club faced a similar scenario was when Neil Lennon departed and John Kennedy stepped in until season’s end, a decision later justified as pragmatic, given the apparent scarcity of available top-level managers in the middle of a campaign.
That logic may apply again. The managerial market typically opens up in May and June, when contracts expire and clubs reshuffle. Moving too quickly now could restrict Celtic to candidates who are either underwhelming or costly to remove from their current contracts.
Keeping O’Neill and Maloney at the helm until the summer could also offer some much-needed stability. The pair appear to have struck a healthy balance, O’Neill providing statesmanlike authority and man-management experience, Maloney handling tactical structure and in-game adjustments. Supporters saw yesterday just how animated Maloney was during the win over theRangers, directing play from the touchline and in the middle of the players prior to extra-time.
This combination has already brought immediate results and restored a wee bit of belief among players and fans alike. If that momentum continues, there’s a compelling argument for allowing the current setup to see out the season, giving Celtic breathing space to identify, and secure, the right long-term manager rather than a merely available one.
Interestingly, a Roma supporter, commenting on O’Neill’s appointment on Celtic’s YouTube channel, after O’Neill’s first post-match press conference, following the win over Falkirk, compared O’Neill’s interim appointment to Claudio Ranieri’s temporary spell with the Italian club last season.
Ranieri was meant to steady the ship, but his impact was so positive on the dressing room and the performances, that Roma kept him on until season’s end, allowing time for a measured succession plan that eventually saw Gasperini take the job after his contract with Atalanta ended. Ranieri even helped in the search and the integration. Celtic may find themselves in a similar position if O’Neill’s influence continues to bear fruit.
Mark van Bommel may actually be the standout name linked so far, but the timing is clearly off. His decision to focus on family is understandable, but it could align neatly with Celtic’s need to bide their time.
For now, O’Neill and Maloney are steering things and we’re already seeing renewed energy and togetherness after a tough time for the players.
If that continues, Celtic might already have the perfect interim solution while the bigger managerial picture settles. And perhaps by the summer, when Van Bommel is ready to return, both sides could find the timing mutually agreeable.
Niall J
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Agreed that it’s becoming a harder task to predict when a new manager will be confirmed for the longer term.
At present, gaining results and forming a bit of stability within our club, was the biggest remit for MoN.
In that regards, he has done superbly well so far.
Maybe uncertain as to whether that stretches to the end of the season just yet.
The deciding factor could well be upon the January transfer window.
Don’t think MoN will fancy having his name tied to that period, especially as the summer activities are still to raw, from so many within our support still.
Regardless of who has to make the decisions come January, is potentially facing a tough task, especially with reduced numbers of players on offer.
So it’s possibly a wait and see process underway at present.
Yet we only need to look at the events of last week, to see just how quickly things can change within the space of a week, within the footballing world.
After the end of the next international break, there becomes a fairly relentless SPFL campaign, along with cups and a European campaign.
So plenty left to play for.
1 change I’m not expecting, is the role of maloney and fozzy before the end of this season however.
How much such a decision taken, is going to have upon the search for a new manager, remains at the completely unknown stage at present imo