It would look strange written like that, and yet the discussion around Celtic’s next manager is already there.
Robbie Keane is among the candidates to replace Brendan Rodgers at Celtic Park. Contacts have taken place with Dermot Desmond, the club’s majority shareholder. Keane, who briefly wore the green and white shirt in the second half of the 2009/10 season, has emerged as one of the names under consideration.
Outside the formal lines of the process, something else has formed around his profile.
Several Celtic supporter groups have signed a public statement opposing his possible appointment, linked to his previous managerial spell at Maccabi Tel Aviv. The reaction has moved quickly, across banners, social media accounts, and organised supporters’ networks.
Keane’s coaching career began in Israel in 2022/23. He won both the league and the domestic cup with Maccabi Tel Aviv in his first season. The following year he moved to Hungary, taking charge of Ferencváros, where he added another league title.
His time in Tel Aviv is the point around which much of the current opposition has formed. A large section of Celtic supporters has criticised his decision to remain at the club after the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Keane arrived in Israel before the attacks of 7 October 2023.
Since then, the conflict has shaped the backdrop against which his career move is being re-read in Glasgow.
In the east end of the city, on walls and shopfront shutters, messages have appeared in recent days opposing his possible appointment. Some have been removed, others remain. At Celtic Park, flags linked to Palestine are a familiar presence on matchdays, part of a wider tradition within sections of the support.
Groups such as Celtic Fans for Palestine have been active for years, and their presence has grown again over the past months. Online, North Curve Celtic circulated a statement endorsed by dozens of supporter organisations.
The text, shared widely, set out their position in direct terms. It referenced Celtic’s historical identity, rooted in Irish immigration and working-class communities in Glasgow, and described solidarity with Palestine as part of that tradition.
It also addressed Keane’s time in Israel.
“For us,” the statement read, “Robbie Keane’s decision to manage Maccabi Tel Aviv during the genocide in Gaza is impossible to ignore.”
The wording was echoed and debated across supporter channels, then reposted again with lists of affiliated groups.
Celtic’s board has not yet made a final decision on the appointment.
Keane, for his part, has previously spoken about his decision to remain at Maccabi Tel Aviv after the war began. He described staying until the end of the season and turning down an extension, citing responsibilities towards his staff and players. He left before the contract initially envisaged.
His earlier career as a player also includes a brief spell at Inter at the turn of the millennium, before a long playing career across England and Scotland, including that short stint at Celtic.
Inside the club, the managerial search continues.
Outside it, the conversation has already moved into the streets, the stands, and the timelines where football decisions tend to settle long before they are confirmed.