Cardiff City manager Mick McCarthy has emerged as one of the candidates to replace Neil Lennon at Scottish Premiership giants Celtic, as reported by The Athletic.
So where do the Hoops go from here?
Do they go down the Brendan Rodgers route and hand over the reins to a young, up-and-coming coach who cares as much about style as he does success? An Eddie Howe, for instance?
Or perhaps a battle-scarred firefighter? An old-school man-manager capable of providing a concrete bridge between one era and the next.
McCarthy, the straightest of straight-talking 62-year-olds, would certainly fit into the latter category.
The former Republic of Ireland boss, who spent two years as a player at Celtic between 1987 and 1989, has been linked with a return to the green half of Glasgow after the departure of Neil Lennon.
And, according to the Athletic, there’s substance to the speculation.
Now, it may be tempting to write off McCarthy as the very definition of a short-term solution, an old war-dog capable of merely holding the fort before making way for a younger model.
But, as Cardiff supporters will tell you, McCarthy is capable of making a dramatic impact in a short space of time.
The former Wolves, Ipswich and Sunderland boss took over from Neil Harris in January and, in the space of two months, has taken Cardiff from 15th to eighth, just two points shy of the play-off places.
McCarthy’s contract expires at the end of this season, though. And, if the Bluebirds’ stunning resurgence continues, his booming Barnsley tones may still be cutting through the South Wales air when 2021/22 begins – with Cardiff in the Premier League perhaps?
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