Former Celtic coach secures prominent position at Premier League club ahead of 2026/27 season
Brentford bring in ex Newcastle United and Chelsea winger to work alongside Republic of Ireland counterpart
Celtic are all set to being their preparations for the new Scottish Premiership season after confirming that Martin O’Neill will be remaining as head coach.
The veteran manager will now begin working with the club to bring in some important first team reinforcements during the summer transfer window ahead of the 2026/27 campaign kicking off in August. The Scottish champions will find out their fixture schedule, along with the other 41 SPFL clubs, on June 18.
Meanwhile, one former Celtic coach has made a summer move and will return to England’s Premier League where he spent the bulk of his playing career. The former winger will take up a role as assistant manager at one prominent club after a spell working with FIFA as a Technical Advisor.
Former Celtic coach Damien Duff joins Brentford as assistant manager
Damien Duff has been appointed assistant manager at Brentford, working alongside Republic of Ireland counterpart Keith Andrews. The Bees’ head coach knows his countryman very well as he explained in the club’s official statement on Duff’s arrival.
He said: “I’ve known Damien for a long time. I’ve seen him up close throughout his coaching journey.
“We’ve been on courses together and worked together as coaches with the Republic of Ireland national team. Damien will bring experience, presence and a real level of detail to our coaching department. He will add to the great group we already have and I’m very pleased that he is joining us.”
Duff and Andrews were both part of the Republic of Ireland coaching set-up under Stephen Kenny between 2020 and 2023. The pair also played for their country together with Andrews earning 35 caps between 2008 and 2012 while Duff was capped 100 times between 1998 and 2012.
Former Celtic coaches career takes another step with return to Premier League
Duff was one of the most recognisable players in England’s Premier League during his playing career where he made over 450 appearances for Blackburn Rovers, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Fulham. He was a player that current Celtic boss Martin O’Neill will have come up against on plenty of occasions but the two never actually worked together.
O’Neill took over as Republic of Ireland manager in 2013, the year after Duff retired from international football. The former winger began his coaching career in 2016 with Shamrock Rovers as a youth team coach.
He was brought to Celtic in 2019 to work with their academy and was promoted to first team coach when Neil Lennon became manager in 2019. He was initially part of an interim coaching team that also involved John Kennedy but the trio saw their roles made permanent after securing the treble.
In April 2020 he was appointed assistant manager of the Republic of Ireland men’s national side and also took up a job with Shelbourne’s academy around the same time. He went on to be appointed head coach at the League of Ireland side in 2021.
Duff stepped down from that role last summer and later took up a position as a Technical Advisor at FIFA. The ex Celtic coach will now bring all that experience to Brentford ahead of their 2026/27 Premier League campaign.