Celtic have officially confirmed that interim manager Martin O’Neill will remain in post, alongside assistant Shaun Maloney, until they can finally confirm their long-term replacement for Brendan Rodgers.
The management duo are expected to be in the dugout when the Hoops return to action against St Mirren in the Scottish Premiership in the evening kick off on Saturday.
Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy is reportedly the frontrunner to land the job, per the Daily Record, as the club look to finalise a deal for the MLS tactician.
It has been reported that Celtic are in talks with the French manager to take over at Parkhead, and he will be looking to build on the success that Rodgers had in his second spell in the dugout.
Whilst there will be a focus on instant results if and when a deal for Nancy gets over the line, there will also be an eye on what may happen in the January transfer window, which is little over a month away from opening for business.
One of the first things that the Columbus Crew head coach may have to deal with is the future of star forward Daizen Maeda, who has been linked with a move away from the club.
The latest on Daizen Maeda's future at Celtic
Earlier this month, the Daily Record reported that the Japan international is set to seal a permanent transfer away from Glasgow when the January transfer window rolls around.
The outlet explained that Maeda was unhappy with a failed attempt to leave the club in the summer, amid interest from Brentford and teams in the Bundesliga, because Celtic were unable to get a replacement in to allow the winger to move on.
Daily Record added that ‘sources close’ to the attacker have confirmed that there is still strong interest in his services ahead of January, which has left the Hoops bracing themselves for offers.
These updates suggest that Maeda, who has scored four goals in all competitions for the Scottish giants this season, may be on his way out of Parkhead in the winter.
Losing the 28-year-old star, who can play anywhere across the front three, would be a big blow for Nancy early on in his tenure at Celtic, because he is a proven threat at the top end of the pitch in the Premiership.
Appearances
34
9
Goals
16
3
Minutes per goal
160
217
Conversion rate
28%
16%
Big chances created
10
2
Assists
10
2
Maeda, as shown in the table above, has scored 19 goals and provided 12 assists in the division since the start of last season, which shows that he offers quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.
The aforementioned Daily Record report also claimed that the recruitment team are already looking at potential options to come in and replace Maeda in January, to ensure that Nancy is not left short-staffed for the second half of the season.
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It was recently reported that Celtic have been offered the chance to sign three players from Chelsea on loan. Deivid Washington, Axel Disasi, and Raheem Sterling were the three names that the Hoops are said to have been made aware of.
With this in mind, Nancy could seal a dream first signing at Parkhead by pushing the club to land Raheem Sterling on loan as a replacement for Maeda, should he depart, in January.
Why Sterling would be a dream signing for Celtic
The former England international is reportedly on £325k-per-week at Stamford Bridge, but he has not made a single appearance in any competition for the Premier League side this season, per Transfermarkt.
Given his complete lack of minutes on the pitch and the report that Celtic have been offered the chance to sign him, Chelsea may be willing to send him out on loan and pay a portion, or the majority, of his wages so that he can go and play regular football again.
If the Conference League champions are willing to do that, Sterling could be a phenomenal addition to the squad and ease any concerns over Maeda’s potential departure from the club in January.
There may be some understandable concerns over his recent form, because the 30-year-old winger has not played any competitive football this season and only managed one goal and five assists in 28 games for Arsenal last term, per Transfermarkt.
However, Sterling has spent his entire career in one of the best leagues, if not the best league, in Europe and has an excellent goalscoring record at Premier League level, along with 20 goals in 82 caps for England.
24/25 (17)
0
2
23/24 (31)
8
7
22/23 (28)
6
3
21/22 (30)
13
6
20/21 (31)
10
8
19/20 (33)
20
4
18/19 (34)
17
10
17/18 (33)
18
12
16/17 (33)
7
7
15/16 (31)
6
2
14/15 (35)
7
7
13/14 (33)
9
5
12/13 (24)
2
2
11/12 (3)
0
0
As you can see in the table above, you only have to go back to the 2023/24 campaign to find a season with more than ten goal contributions in the Premier League for Sterling.
It is worth remembering that Kelechi Iheanacho has three goals and one assist in eight matches for Celtic, after a return of one goal in 24 games in the Championship and LaLiga combined last term.
Scotland ranks 18th in UEFA’s league rankings, 17 places behind England in 1st, which speaks to the difference in quality between the two levels of football, which is why Sterling could recapture his goalscoring form at Parkhead.
At the age of 30, the Chelsea outcast still has plenty left to give and a move to Celtic could reignite his career after a difficult spell at Stamford Bridge, whilst allowing Nancy to forget all about the possibility of Maeda moving on from the club.
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That is why Sterling could be a dream first signing for the French tactician if the Hoops are able to work out a loan deal that makes sense for all parties involved.