Manager with nine trophies reportedly offered to Celtic; he wanted to sign £20m Hoops ace

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As it stands, Eddie Howe remains the clear frontrunner to fill the vacant managerial post at Celtic. But the sudden availability of Paulo Fonseca might just have shaken things up a bit.

According to the Transfer Window Podcast, Celtic have been approached by representatives working on behalf of the 48-year-old.

The implication is clear: if the Hoops are up for it, Fonseca would certainly be tempted by the prospect of continuing his career in Glasgow’s East End. 

Perhaps it’s the promise of regular silverware which appeals to Fonseca, a man who lifted an impressive nine trophies during spells at Braga, Porto and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Perhaps it is the regular access to European football.

And perhaps it is the opportunity to work with a player who, just two months ago, was being tipped to swap Celtic for Fonseca’s Roma side in a £20 million summer switch.

According to Calciomercato, Roma had identified Odsonne Edouard as a potential successor for the living legend that is Edin Dzeko at the Stadio Olimpico.

Fonseca’s impending departure – he will be replaced by fellow Iberian Jose Mourinho at the end of this season – has robbed him of the chance to work with one of Europe’s most exciting young strikers in the Italian capital.

With Edouard out of contract in 2022 and available for a knockdown fee of £20 million, it is far from certain that Fonseca, should he be handed the keys to the Celtic machine, will be sharing a dressing room with the France U21 international in Scotland either.

Then again, the prospective appointment of a proven, big-name manager like Fonseca may be the only way Celtic can convince Edouard to commit his future to the recently-dethroned Premiership giants.

Howe may be a talented young coach with vast potential; a fresh-faced tactician in the Brendan Rodgers mould. But Fonseca would arrive in Glasgow with a silver-coated CV, incorperating numerous Champions League campaigns and a two-year spell at one of Italy’s biggest clubs.

In short, Fonseca exactly is the sort of high-profile, marquee appointment Celtic must consider if they want to keep their very best players north of the border.