O’Neill Stays on as Celtic Interim Boss—But What’s Really Holding Up the Permanent Appointment?

The winds of change are swirling yet again at Celtic Park. With Brendan Rodgers stepping down last month, Martin O’Neill has stepped back into the limelight, taking the reins on a temporary footing alongside Shaun Maloney. It’s a bittersweet nod to the past — O’Neill, who helmed the Hoops from 2000 to 2005, is now called upon to steady the ship as the club hunts for their next permanent boss. Names like Craig Bellamy and Ange Postecoglou have floated around, but it’s Wilfried Nancy of Columbus Crew who’s currently the front-runner to bring fresh energy to Glasgow’s famed club. Talks may be underway, but until something concrete surfaces, expect to see O’Neill’s steady hand in charge when Celtic face St. Mirren this Saturday. The team sits second in the Scottish Premiership, trailing Hearts by seven points but with a game yet to play — a delicate dance of promise and pressure. O’Neill’s record since stepping back in? Just one blemish — a Europa League loss — yet he’s guided the team to two league victories and a spot in the Scottish League Cup final. The countdown to a new era continues, but for now, the interim duo carries the hopes of a club hungry for success. LEARN MORE

Martin O’Neill will continue to take charge of Celtic on an interim basis, alongside Shaun Maloney, while the club continue their search for a new manager.

Brendan Rodgers resigned last month, with O’Neill, who also served as Celtic boss between 2000 and 2005, overseeing four matches in all competitions since then.

Wales head coach Craig Bellamy and former manager Ange Postecoglou were both linked with the vacancy, with Columbus Crew’s Wilfried Nancy currently the favourite to take over the reigning Scottish champions.

Reports suggest the Frenchman has started talks with Celtic, but with no official confirmation, O’Neill is set to be in the dugout for Saturday’s league meeting with St. Mirren.

“If there’s not an announcement now in the next few days, then I’m happy to still be here for the weekend game against St. Mirren,” O’Neill told Celtic TV.

As #CelticFC continue with the process to appoint our next permanent manager, we can confirm that Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney will continue to manage first-team matters on an interim basis, until this process is complete.

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— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) November 17, 2025

“First of all, we want the players coming back from international matches unscathed, which is the most important thing for us now that we’ve got a few injuries to contend with.

“So whatever sort of squad we had for the Kilmarnock game, I wouldn’t mind having roughly the same again, but we can only deal with what we have and what we want to do, and we just want to play as strongly as we possibly can.

“But let’s see what the next couple of days bring.”

Celtic return to Scottish Premiership action second in the table, seven points behind leaders Hearts, though they do have a game in hand.

O’Neill has lost just one of his four matches in charge – a 3-1 loss to Midtjylland in the Europa League – but won both league games as well as leading the team to the Scottish League Cup final.