Celtic chiefs are working to persuade Martin O’Neill to take charge next season following a surprise update on Robbie Keane.

After a phenomenal end to a disappointing season that culminated in Celtic winning the double, club chiefs now have a decision to make on which direction they turn for their next boss.

The odds were stacked against the Hoops heading into the final five Scottish Premiership fixtures, but O’Neill once again showed his class by winning all five, including games against Rangers and Hearts, to lift the title.

Following the disastrous spell at the helm for Wilfried Nancy mid-season, the Northern Irishman took interim charge for the second time in the season and turned the Bhoys’ fortunes around.

Celtic decision-makers have now faced the decision of whether they stick with the 74-year-old, if he is willing to take the job on a full-time basis and stick around, or to look elsewhere.

One option who had been linked with the potential vacant post was Jens Berthel Askou following an outstanding season at Motherwell, but the Dane has joined Toulouse instead, ruling him out of the running.

Now it seems Celtic are ready to go all out to convince O’Neill to stay on.

Celtic Planning to Tempt O’Neill to Stay

According to Football Insider, the Celtic hierarchy are planning to ask O’Neill to remain as manager next season, despite the fact that they are compiling a new manager shortlist.

The Guardian reported in March that Robbie Keane was emerging as the frontrunner for the job, and talk among fans has increased after he resigned from his role as Ferencvaros manager in recent days.

However, Football Insider claim that while the 45-year-old is on their shortlist, he isn’t one of the leading contenders to take the reins at Parkhead.

As well as the ‘unbelievable’ O’Neill, other candidates are said to be ahead of the Republic of Ireland legend in the running.

Which Other Managers Could Celtic Target?

The same Guardian report also named Craig Bellamy as an option for Celtic, but the suggestion is that he is happy as manager of Wales and wants to continue to help the nation qualify for their home Euro 2028 tournament.

Elsewhere, two more names have been heavily linked with the Bhoys across the last 12 months.

One of those is Roberto Martinez, who is about to lead Portugal at the 2026 World Cup in North America, with his future to be decided after the tournament.

While he hasn’t managed in club football for a decade, there is a link at Celtic Park in the form of Shaun Maloney, who has both played and worked under the Spaniard previously.

The other name who keeps getting mentioned is Bodo/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen, who continues to make big waves with the Norwegian side.

The 57-year-old brilliantly led his team to the Champions League quarter-finals this season, beating Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan along the way.

If Celtic want a manager who could help them advance in Europe’s elite club competition, the experienced Norwegian might be the man.

Liverpool face another busy summer of transfer business as they look to put a torrid season behind them.

The Reds finished fifth in the table and have qualified for the Champions League after the Premier League was handed an extra qualification spot. However, they finished 25 points behind champions Arsenal as they put up a meek defence of their title.

The club spent around £450million to improve their squad last summer but they have taken a step backwards and need to add players in several key areas less than 12 months on.

One position that needs to be addressed is the right wing, with Mohamed Salah saying goodbye to the club after a success-laden nine-year spell. The Egyptian played his final game on Sunday as the Reds drew 1-1 with Brentford at Anfield.

Yan Diomande leading candidate to replace Mo Salah

According to The Athletic’s Liverpool correspondent James Pearce, RB Leipzig forward Yan Diomande is the ‘leading candidate’ to replace Salah.

The 19-year-old claimed 13 goals and 11 assists for RB Leipzig last term and could already be on his way out of the German club after just one year.

Speaking on The Athletic FC podcast, Pearce revealed that Liverpool are keen to add more pace out wide ahead of next season. He said: “We know that Yan Diomande at RB Leipzig is the leading candidate as things stand. He is a really exciting young player.”

Talks are reportedly already underway between Liverpool and RB Leipzig over a deal for Diomande although the Reds will not eb the only ones chasing his signature this summer.

With Salah departing, the Reds have now lost two of the three forwards who helped them win the Premier League title in 2024/25. Luis Diaz joined Bayern Munich last summer and no like-for-like replacement was signed.

And without Salah, the Reds have lost yet more pace from their forward line.

Liverpool could be helped in their pursuit of Diomande after he previously revealed it was his dream to play for the club, having grown up supporting the Reds.

Yan Diomande has huge potential

The 2025/26 season was Diomande’s first campaign as a regular starter in the senior game. He had his breakthrough with CD Leganés in La Liga but only played 10 games for the Spanish side before joining Leipzig.

He has been described as ‘lethal’ and could be the long-term answer as the Reds seek to replace Salah. Aged 19, he still has his whole career ahead of him.

It will be difficult for any player to live up to Salah, who scored 257 goals and provided 123 assists in 442 games for Liverpool.

Diomande is still young and he would not be expected to reach Salah’s level in his first or even second season.

However, he has been described as a player with huge potential and his value is only expected to rise beyond the £87million Leipzig want for him this summer.