JOHAN Mjallby believes his old club Celtic remain a big enough name to attract some of European football’s most high-profile coaches if Neil Lennon is not given the manager’s job.
The Swede, Lennon’s assistant at Parkhead for three years, believes his former team-mate likely has to win the Scottish Cup if he is to be asked to stay on for next season, with Aberdeen on Sunday standing in the way of a third final which could seal another treble, with the Premiership title all but confirmed.
But if the board decide on a fresh start for next season, Mjallby sees no reason why the likes of Roberto Martinez, Andres Villa-Boas or even Rafa Benitez, all linked with the job this week,would not be interested in taking on the job.
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Asked if Celtic realistically would have a chance of appointing Belgium head coach Martinez, Mjallby said: “Why not? You can’t talk Celtic down.
“Obviously, Rangers have had difficult years but the pair of them are massive clubs and either one of them should win the league every year.
“But even if you have been the manager of big clubs in other major leagues, the pressure you have as a Celtic manager is enormous.
“Martinez has never won a league title, for example. Villas-Boas and Benitez have done but, at Parkhead, you have the chance to win trophies every year.
“The ambition should also be to make Celtic great in Europe again.”
Brendan Rodgers left Celtic to work in the English Premier League again but Mjallby does not believe Scottish football is a step backwards.
He said: “I was surprised at the timing of Brendan leaving the club. That was a bit strange but it was good for Celtic that Neil was available – he’d worked with a lot of the players in the squad and he’s very passionate about the club so it was a win-win for everybody.
“He was out of a job at the time and everyone knows how much Celtic means to him.
It will be interesting to see what happens.
“Neil knows he will have to secure the treble to have a chance of getting the job on a full-time basis.
“That’s down to the board, though, and I’m sure they’ll be contemplating other names. It would be difficult for them not to make him the manager if he completed the treble but it depends on how they look at the club going forward long term.
“What budget do they want to spend for a big name?
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“Martinez, Villas-Boas and Benitez have been mentioned and, although Neil has plenty of
experience as a boss, they will be much more expensive than him.
“Obviously, it will always be important for Celtic to win domestic trophies – and the league is always the bread and butter – but then you have to look at Europe.
“That was the only area where Brendan didn’t succeed that much so would the board find a foreign manager more attractive when it comes to making Celtic a force in Europe?
"It's an unusual situation. I still think it is important Neil wins the treble to really have a chance to get the job.
“If Neil does that then he would, rightly so, be disappointed, if he doesn’t get the job.
“Even if he plays football that is a bit different from Brendan’s style, at least he would get the chance to bring players in who will play the way he wants them to – if he gets the job full-time.
“I think even Lenny would recognise that [he would be blamed for not winning the Scottish Cup], but it was too good a chance to come in and try to finish the season on a high, with the condition of he could get the job full time and then be able to build his own team, with players suited to the way he wants to play.
“It’s too attractive a challenge to say no to. At the same time, whatever happens, this will make Neil even more hungry, no matter where he is. He’ll want to improve and be even more successful.
“But it doesn’t matter if it’s Neil, a foreign manager or someone like David Moyes; the most important thing is that the directors back the man in charge financially.
“Whatever style he chooses to play in, the board must support him in bringing in the type of players he needs to do that.
“But whatever happens there will be a few changes to the squad next season.”
Mjallby, a cult hero with the Parkhead supporters, is enjoying the dominance of his club. He, for one, is not yet bored with Celtic winning everything after eight domestic trophies in a row.
Asked if it would be for the greater good of Scottish football should Aberdeen win, Mjallby said: “No. But, then, I’m biased. I’m a Celtic fan.
“Listen, I understand the bigger picture, however, the competition will always be there and Celtic are not going to win trebles every season. That would unrealistic.
“And that is why the record they have is so impressive. Every cup game is tough. Aberdeen is going to be difficult. They won’t have too much pressure on them.
“They know they’ll need to be organised, good at set-pieces. They need Sam Cosgrove to get involved.
“Aberdeen are good. They have been at the top now for many years under Derek McInnes. It will be a tough game.”
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