Celtic have been searching for their next permanent head coach since Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation from his position at the start of last week.
Martin O’Neill has taken charge of the Scottish giants for the two matches since the Northern Irish manager moved on from Parkhead, and has overseen wins over Falkirk and Rangers.
The experienced manager’s instant impact at Parkhead has provided the board with a cushion of time to find the right man for the job, rather than needing to rush a decision because of a need for results in the short-term.
One thing the next manager needs to be able to do is to coach a team to score goals on a consistent basis, because that was the area of Rodgers’ performance that was most lacking this season.
Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic
23/24
24/25
25/26
Matches managed
50
57
16
Goals scored
121
167
25
Goals scored per game
2.42
2.92
1.56
Points per game
2.24
2.26
1.78
Games without a goal scored
8
5
6
Games per goalless performance
6.25
11.4
2.66
As you can see in the table above, Celtic failed to score in more games in Rodgers’ 16 matches this season than they did in 57 outings in the 2025/26 campaign, which is a big cause for concern.
The Hoops need to find their next version of Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou, whose side rarely had trouble finding the back of the net.
Why Celtic need to find their next Ange Postecoglou
During his two seasons at Celtic, the former Spurs and Nottingham Forest manager made sure that the Scottish giants were goal machines across all competitions.
Postecoglou won five trophies in two years at Parkhead, including three domestic cups and two Scottish Premiership titles, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he was successful as well as being able to coach exciting and attacking football.
The 60-year-old head coach had the perfect blend of results and style, which is why he was the perfect manager for the club at the time, before his move to Tottenham in 2023.
Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic
21/22
22/23
Matches managed
60
53
Goals scored
137
147
Goals scored per game
2.28
2.77
Points per game
2.22
2.42
Games without a goal scored
7
4
Games per goalless performance
8.6
13.3
As you can see in the table above, Celtic only failed to score in 11 of their 113 matches with Postecoglou as their head coach in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.
Whereas, the Hoops failed to score in 11 of Rodgers’ last 73 matches in charge since the start of last season, which shows that the Australian boss was far more successful at coaching a consistent attacking unit.
This is why the Celtic board should currently be looking for a manager who can be their next version of Postecoglou, to bring attacking football back to Parkhead this season.
With the search for the permanent successor to Rodgers ongoing, the Scottish giants have been told to consider an international manager by a former player.
Celtic told to hire attack-minded international manager
Ex-Celtic central midfielder Joe Ledley has urged the Premiership champions to swoop for Wales head coach Craig Bellamy as their next head coach.
He told the Celtic Way: “There have been a lot of links down here with Craig Bellamy. He’s had a fantastic start to his managerial career at Wales.
“There’s a lot of hype around him. The way Wales are playing has been fantastic – really attacking minded, always on the front foot. He’d be a perfect option for Celtic.
Ledley added: “I’ve told people up there he’d be a fantastic candidate for the Celtic job because of the way he plays. He’s always attacking-minded, enthusiastic, and lives and breathes football.”
Sky Sports reported last week that Bellamy is one of the names in the frame for the role, which suggests that there is a chance that the club make a move for him.
Why Celtic should move for Craig Bellamy
The 46-year-old tactician is a really interesting managerial option because he has never managed a club at first-team level, which means that he would be stepping into a high-pressure environment at Celtic for the first time as a club manager.
This means that it is hard to say with any degree of certainty that Bellamy, who typically plays a 4-2-3-1, as Postecoglou did, would be a success at Parkhead, as he does not have a track record of coaching first-team clubs to fall back on.
However, his work with Wales at international level does suggest that he has the ability to coach a team to attack well, as Ledley suggested with his comments.
Speaking on the High Performance Podcast in September, Bellamy rubbished claims that playing out from the back is a “risk”, saying that he does not feel it is a “risk” to play under pressure when you have a number advantage around your own box.
Wales national team
Games managed
45
14
Goals scored
55
22
Goals scored per game
1.22
1.57
Points per game
1.33
1.57
Games without a goal scored
14
4
Games per goalless game
3.2
3.5
Stats via Transfermarkt
That mentality and way of coaching his team, as shown in the table above, has improved Wales both in terms of results and goals scored, as they are winning more points and scoring more goals than they did under the previous manager, Rob Page.
This shows that he has demonstrable success in improving a team as an attacking force, which is what Celtic need after their struggles in front of goal at the start of the season under Rodgers.
Last year, Welsh forward Harry Wilson explained that Bellamy’s way of playing is about taking more risks when playing out from the back, which helps to build an attacking style of play that creates more chances for the forwards.
Therefore, Bellamy could be the next Postecoglou at Parkhead because of his desire to play front-footed and attack-minded football that is full of ‘risks’, even if the manager does not view them as risks.
However, it still remains to be seen whether or not the former Celtic winger would be willing to move on from the Wales job before the World Cup next summer.
