Chris Sutton has backed Neil Lennon for a return to Celtic as manager.
Pundit Chris Sutton has told the Glasgow Evening Times that he thinks Hibernian manager Neil Lennon should be a frontrunner to replace Brendan Rodgers as Celtic boss.
Celtic landed a major coup by appointing Rodgers in 2016, hiring the ex-Liverpool man to replace Ronny Deila in what has been a dream move for the Bhoys.
Rodgers guided Celtic to an unbeaten domestic treble last season, looks set to win another domestic treble this term, and has taken the Bhoys into the group stage of the Champions League in both seasons at the club.
The problem for Celtic is that clubs back in England are looking to land Rodgers, with speculation already linking him with moves to Arsenal or Chelsea.
Celtic will have surely known that a move back to England would be on the cards for Rodgers if he impressed in Scotland, but that wouldn’t make replacing him any easier.
Now, pundit Chris Sutton has told the Glasgow Evening Times that he thinks Rodgers deserves all the plaudits and interest he gets – and backed ex-Celtic manager Neil Lennon to make a return to the club as Rodgers’ successor.
Lennon, currently in charge of Hibernian, won almost 70% of his games in charge of Celtic, winning three league titles in an impressive four-year stint, with Sutton keen to see the ex-Bhoys midfielder make an emotional return.
“The interesting thing from Brendan’s point of view is that if he wins the double Treble – and it would be an unbelievable achievement and never been done before – the pressure will be on in Europe,” said Sutton. “We’ve all seen the European performances this season. Does he see this squad competing in the Champions League with four qualifiers next season? In England there are people who are being disrespectful about Scottish football and Celtic and saying it’s a load of rubbish and anyone could do what he’s doing.”
“They are asking if he should be given a chance if a big gun comes in. Arsenal have been mentioned and is reportedly on a four-man shortlist for Chelsea. I think he would be well courted so if it left an opportunity at Celtic who would be the next fit? I don’t know the relationship between Neil Lennon and Peter Lawwell after he left. But in terms of the job he has done at Hibs, the affection he’s held by the Celtic support and the fact he’s really maturing as a coach then he’d be well up there in the pecking order if Brendan ended up leaving,” he added.
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