It looks like Celtic will need to meet one condition if they want to hire Kieran McKenna as their next manager.
This is not something that the fans would have seen coming even a few weeks back, but there are now serious question marks over the future of Martin O'Neill at Celtic.
The club legend had been handed the job this summer after a phenomenal interim run that ended with a league and cup double against all odds, and could have been a treble if he had stayed put rather than being replaced by Wilfried Nancy for a month before being brought back.
O'Neill's side are currently on a three-game losing streak, with two of them coming against the Rangers. Even more worryingly, they have looked completely toothless ever since that 5-1 defeat to LASK, which appears to have dented the team's confidence badly.
Some outlets have suggested that O'Neill could consider walking away. It is not hard to see why. It would be better for him to preserve his legacy rather than allowing things to drag on if they are not working.
In that case, Celtic would need to bring in a replacement. Kieran McKenna, who is without a club at the moment, has been suggested as a potential candidate by some. Bringing him in would not be straightforward though.
Celtic can bring in Kieran McKenna on one condition
According to CeltsAreHere, McKenna left Ipswich Town in the summer. But the terms surrounding his departure reportedly included protection for his former club.
Ipswich Town are said to be entitled to around £8 million in compensation if another club appoints McKenna within 12 months of his exit.
Obviously, that would represent a significant sum of money for Celtic. Rarely have the club paid more than that to sign players.
So, it is hard to imagine that Celtic would bring in McKenna for £8 million. A compromise would need to be reached with Ipswich Town.
Who could replace O'Neill at Celtic?
If O'Neill does end up leaving Celtic, it would be very difficult to find a replacement for him at this point in the season.
Celtic did try last year. They ended up settling on Nancy. And we all know how things turned out for the French manager.
He did not seem to have a good understanding of the expectations that are placed on managers at Celtic and only lasted a little more than a month in the job.
There is a genuine possibility that Celtic could get it wrong again. The best-case scenario would be for O'Neill to figure out a way to turn around the results after the international break before a long-term replacement is found next summer.
