Pascal Jansen could potentially arrive at Celtic with a Manager of the Year award under his belt with the AZ Alkmaar boss in line for a piece of personal silverware following an excellent campaign.
Rather fittingly for a man who’s mother formed half of the Spooky and Sue pop duo, the Celtic-linked Pascal Jansen has his AZ side producing some rather sweet music in the Eredivisie. Bouncing to the beat of their head coach’s drum, the ‘Cheeseheads’ finished fourth while scoring the most goals of any team outside of the ‘big three’; PSV Eindhoven, Ajax and champions Feyenoord.
AZ also defeated Anderlecht and Lazio on route to the UEFA Conference League semi-finals. Falling valiantly at the last-four stage to eventual winners West Ham United.
And while Jansen will not be the bookies’ favourite to take home the Rinus Michels award – named after the legendary former Ajax, Netherlands and Barcelona boss – the fact that he is even among the nominees is testament to how much the public perception has changed around a 50-year-old who has silenced his critics since replacing the much-coveted Arne Slot at the AFAS Stadium.
Celtic need a new manager with Pascal Jansen an option
“I think AZ played very well, not just against us,” David Moyes said after that AZ clash. “They are doing remarkably well in the Dutch league. And they have done so for a few years in a row.”
It is Jansen’s swaggering style of play, meanwhile, as much as his impressive results, which have earned him a place on Celtic’s radar.
The Scottish Sun believe that the London-born Jansen has been lined up for a return to Britain as Celtic scour the market for a coach capable of building upon the rock-solid foundations Ange Postecoglou laid down at Parkhead.
A disciple of Pep Guardiola and Erik ten Hag; Jansen would certainly continue Postecoglou’s penchant for dominating the game. AZ monopolised 70 per cent of the possession against West Ham last month; undone by Pablo Fornals’ last-gasp breakaway winner.
Talks with Brendan Rodgers continue
Should he be named Dutch football’s Manager of the Year for 2023, meanwhile, Jansen will join Ten Hag, Louis van Gaal and Guus Hiddink in the Eredivisie history books.
Jansen does not appear to be at the very forefront of Celtic’s thinking, however. According to Sky Sports, the Premiership champions have now held further talks with Brendan Rodgers; a controversial return to Parkhead for the former Leicester City boss on the cards.
Rodgers won seven trophies during two-and-a-half years at Celtic between 2016 and 2019. While the nature of his departure rubbed plenty of fans up the wrong way, his success cannot be disputed.
“Celtic’s decades of dominance are not going to be ended by default,” Rangers legend Barry Ferguson tells the Daily Record.
“And it’s worth remembering that, while Postecoglou claimed five out of six trophies in his two years at Parkhead, this was just the latest part of a pattern which stretches back way longer than a couple of seasons.”
“The very mention of Brendan Rodgers being in the running for the job should send a shiver down the spine. He’s the guy who started this monopoly by leading them to three successive trebles.”
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