Celtic have been linked with a move for a manager, labelled by one expert as a potential Arne Slot successor

Celtic supporters were treated to a wonderful feeling of nostalgia in mid-week when they watched Martin O’Neill leap in the air to celebrate a number of goals during an emphatic and much-needed 4-0 confidence-boosting victory over Falkirk. It’s a result which came 7,459 days after O’Neill bowed out of Celtic with the Scottish Cup, and for a fleeting moment had some supporters believing it was 2005 again. However, despite the small respite and the magic touch that O’Neill provided, it’s clear that Celtic still need to find a new manager to lead the team forward while their 73-year-old boss from 20 years ago continues to steady the ship in the interim.

They are still coming to terms with the departure of former Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, a manager that enjoyed some fine moments at Celtic in his second spell, but the manner of his exit and the subsequent public feud with Dermot Desmond, could leave the hierarchy with a bit of a task in convincing the right successor to join the club.

One name that’s growing in popularity with the media at this point is thought to be Club Brugge manager Nicky Hayen. He’s building a big reputation for himself in Belgium and has even been referred to as a potential successor to Liverpool boss Arne Slot in years to come.

Celtic express an interest in Nicky Hayen

According to reports in Voetbal Nieuws, Celtic have expressed an interest in making Nicky Hayen their new long-term manager. It’s claimed the Scottish Premiership winners can use ‘money, prestige, and the lure of Glasgow’ to tempt Hayen. Celtic sell more tickets and have more commercial strength than Club Brugge and play in some form of European competition in almost every season - having last failed to qualify for some form of football on the continent in 1994/95.

Hayen is aged 45, yet remarkably has 11 years of management experience. He’s worked predominantly in Belgium but also briefly in Wales with Haverfordwest County.

He’s ironically already replaced one ex-Celtic manager earlier in his career by succeeding Ronny Deila at Club Brugge. Since joining he’s won one league title and two cups while also reaching the round-of-16 of the Champions League and the semi-final of the Conference League.

Hayen crossed paths with Rangers in the Champions League qualifiers and led his team to a 9-1 aggregate victory across two legs against the Ibrox outfit. He’s renowned for his attacking style of play and developing young players which fits into what Celtic are said to be looking for in a new manager.

Nicky Hayen has been tipped to replace Arne Slot at some point in the future

Nicky Hayen is a coach that’s growing in prominence in each passing season, with one pundit even suggesting he could emerge as a long-term successor to Arne Slot at Anfield.

"Next year [he] will play a series of matches in the Champions League, attracting the attention of Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern and Manchester," Jan Mulder wrote in Humo

"Nasser Al-Khelaifi of Paris St-Germain also joins the fight for his signature at the last minute. Personally, I think that the great Nicky Hayen will replace Arne Slot from Zwolle as manager of Liverpool within two years."

Arne Slot joined Liverpool in the summer of 2024, replacing long-standing popular manager Jurgen Klopp. He spent little in his first summer window and enjoyed a dream debut season by winning the league at a canter. However, for the first time since moving to Anfield, he now finds himself under scrutiny after bringing in £450m worth of talent, and falling to six defeats in seven matches across all competitions.

Liverpool face Aston Villa at Anfield looking to return to winning ways after a huge slump in form throughout October. They are seven points behind pacesetters Arsenal after nine matches despite initially storming into a five-point lead earlier in the campaign.