Celtic's Double Dream Alive — But Major Changes Loom Regardless of Outcome

Celtic Still in the Hunt — But What Comes Next?

Despite one of the most turbulent and contentious seasons in recent memory, Celtic remain very much alive in the race for both the Premiership title and the Scottish Cup. Yet even if silverware arrives, the club faces a summer of potentially sweeping changes that could reshape its identity from top to bottom.

A Club United — At Least on Match Day

When Celtic and Rangers lock horns this Sunday at Celtic Park, every supporter, player, and staff member inside the ground will be pulling in the same direction. That shared intensity will hold firm until the title is either clinched or slips away — only the second time that could happen in 15 years.

Behind that surface unity, however, a series of unanswered questions are quietly building pressure. Who will manage the club next season? What will the football structure look like? And will the current boardroom faces survive growing fan discontent? Nobody seems to have definitive answers — at least not publicly.

The O'Neill Question

Martin O'Neill, 74, has been one of the more remarkable stories of this Celtic season. Brought back from retirement twice — first after Brendan Rodgers' bitter exit and again following Wilfried Nancys brief and disastrous eight-game tenure — the veteran manager has averaged more Premiership points per game than any of his contemporaries across his two stints this season.

The argument can reasonably be made that had O'Neill been installed from the moment Rodgers departed, Celtic would likely be comfortable champions by now. That raises a straightforward but loaded question: has he done enough to earn another season in the dugout?

Speaking to talkSPORT this week, O'Neill hinted at an openness to continuing without making any firm commitments.

"I feel a sense of renaissance, coming back and working with young people — it's really, really terrific," he said. "We'll have to see how we stand at the end of the season, and that's nearly upon us now."

Despite his legendary status at the club, some supporters believe it is time to move on. Paul John Dykes of the A Celtic State of Mind podcast was direct in his assessment.

"Martin O'Neill has been dreadfully let down by the Celtic board," Dykes told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast. "There's no way he came to Celtic in January, one week into a transfer window, on the promise of four loanees and an out-of-contract player to win the double. Regardless of what happens, Martin O'Neill's legacy is intact — he should go and enjoy his retirement."

The Contenders: Keane and Askou

If O'Neill does step aside, two names have emerged most frequently in discussions around the managerial vacancy.

Robbie Keane

The 45-year-old former Republic of Ireland striker, currently managing Hungarian side Ferencvaros, has declined to discuss his future publicly while focused on securing a second Hungarian league title — having previously won a league in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv. His deep familiarity with Celtic, his winning mentality, and his experience navigating European competition make him an appealing candidate.

Jens Berthel Askou

Motherwell manager Askou has quietly become one of the most talked-about coaches in Scottish football. In his debut season in the country, the Danish tactician has transformed a side that finished in the bottom half in each of the past two seasons into genuine European contenders — all while playing a high-intensity, attacking brand of football that has drawn widespread praise.

Motherwell midfielder Andy Halliday was fulsome in his admiration when speaking on BBC Radio Scotland's Sportsound.

"It's a style of football in Scotland I've not seen, probably outside of Ange Postecoglou's Celtic," Halliday said. "When you consider he has Paul McGinn at 35 playing the best football of his career, Stephen O'Donnell at 34 doing the same — and he's created sellable assets in players like Tawanada Maswanhise, Elliot Watt, Lukas Fadinger, and Emmanuel Longelo — he's transformed the club financially as well."

Boardroom Turmoil Adds to the Uncertainty

Off the pitch, fan protests and simmering discontent in the stands have been as defining a feature of Celtic's season as the football itself. Whether the current board survives the summer — with or without a trophy — remains one of the most pressing and unresolved storylines surrounding the club.

Celtic's period of extraordinary domestic dominance is under genuine threat. How the club navigates the months ahead — in the dugout, in the transfer market, and in the corridors of power — will define its next chapter.