Former Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe has declined the chance to take over at Scottish side Celtic. Neil Lennon left the club back in February when his side were 18 points adrift of Rangers in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Howe was one of the early front-runners for the race but has now dropped out due to “reasons outwith both his and our control.”
Eddie Howe Will Not Take Celtic Job
Celtic Statement
In a statement, Celtic said: “Following very positive and detailed discussions with Eddie Howe, with the belief that he would be an excellent candidate for the position of Celtic manager, we allowed time for the process, given he’d previously made it clear he was not looking to return to management until this summer at the earliest,” the club said in a statement.
“We can now confirm that Eddie will not be joining the club. We fully appreciate our fans will be seeking clarity on this matter.”
It’s currently not clear why Howe turned down the job, although the make-up of the backroom staff is understood to have possibly played a part.
The search for Lennon’s successor will now go on, although the club are said to be hopeful of appointing a new manager “very shortly“.
Howe’s Managerial Career
Howe is best known for the 12 years he spent at Bournemouth across two different spells, managing them in each of England’s top four divisions. Once they reached the top flight, he managed to keep the Cherries there for five seasons before they suffered relegation at the end of 2019/20.
Between his two stints on the south coast, he also spent a season at Burnley, guiding them to a 13th-place finish in the Championship.
It’s disappointing for Celtic to lose out on a manager of his quality. They will now look to bring in someone else who can look to wrestle the title back off Rangers.
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