'Leading' candidate for Celtic job ruled out of race as Brendan Rodgers decision scuppers plans
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The former Celtic player is no longer in the race to be named the club next manager, according to reports.Celtic next manager candidate Craig Bellamy has been ruled out of the race to become the club’s new head coach due to a timing issue, according to reports.The 46-year-old Wales boss is claimed to have been a ‘leading’ name on the shortlist of candidates drawn up by the Celtic board to succeed Brendan Rodgers, after the Northern Irishman resigned from the role on Monday amid a breakdown in his relationship with the board of directors.While former manager Martin O’Neill has been handed the role on an interim basis alongside assistant Shaun Maloney, the 73-year-old insists he does not expect the position to be anything other than temporary, despite starting his second reign as Celtic manager with a thumping 4-0 victory over Falkirk in the Scottish Premiership on Wednesday.Craig Bellamy has been linked with the vacant managerial role at Celtic. | Justin Setterfield/Getty ImagesBellamy helped Burnley win promotion to the English Premier League as Vincent Kompany’s assistant during the 2022/23 season, before being appointed as the national team coach in July 2024 - his first managerial role. Going unbeaten in his first nine games in charge of his country,The former frontman, who won the Scottish Cup during a six-month loan spell at Celtic in 2005, is believed to have caught the attention of the Parkhead hierarchy in recent months after his impressive start as Wales manager, with Rodgers’ contract set to expire in the summer.
Several reports say the club had viewed Bellamy as a potential replacement prior to the 52-year-old’s shock resignation, with a view to potentially appointing him for next season, prior to his resignation with immediate effect on Monday.Rodgers’ early exit from Parkhead is understood to have thrown the Cardiff-born manager into the mix to become the next man in the Celtic dugout quicker than anticipated. However, Rodgers’ decision to leave his role early looks to have scuppered any chance of Bellamy being named as the next Parkhead manager, as he is unwilling to leave his role as Wales head coach due to his side still being in contention to qualify for next summer’s World Cup.Currently in third place in their group on ten points, they trail Belgium by four points and second-placed North Macedonia by three, ahead of their crucial final two qualification games in November.
Scheduled to face Liechtenstein at the Rheinpark Stadion in their penultimate game, they will then welcome North Macedonia to the Cardiff City Stadium in their mammoth final group game next month. The ex-Liverpool and Celtic striker is hoping to lead his side to qualification for next summer’s World Cup.With Celtic six points behind Hearts in the race for the Scottish Premiership title, the club are likely to want to install a permanent manager quickly, effectively ruling Bellamy out of the running.