Next Celtic manager odds latest: Former Hoops striker names one candidate destined to become Parkhead boss

Former Celtic striker Alan McInally believes there is only one standout candidate for the Celtic job with current West Ham United boss David Moyes tipped as the man to replace Ange Postecoglou in the Parkhead hotseat.

The former Socceroos coach, who left the Scottish champions after two seasons and 113 games in charge on Tuesday, signed a four-year deal to become Tottenham Hotspur’s new permanent manager. He managed to bring stability and success back to Celtic Park after a disasterous final season under Neil Lennon, winning five trophies before succumbing to the lure of the English Premier League.

Since his departure, there have already been various managers linked with the vacant Celtic post with Norwegian coach Kjetil Knutsen now installed as the bookmakers favourite, while Pep Guardiola’s assitant at Manchester City, Enzo Maresca, and former treble-winning boss Brendan Rodgers still prominent in the betting.

However, the Sky Sports ‘Soccer Saturday’ pundit and ex-Hoops frontman, who spent three seasons in Glasgow’s East End between 1984–87, reckons Hammers boss Moyes would jump at the opportunity to return north of the border and take charge of the club he started his playing career at.

Moyes, who will lead West Ham into battle against Italian side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final tonight, played down speculation linking him with the role last week.

Speaking on Betfair’s Group Chat podcast, McInally said: “For me, there’s always been two men destined to become manager of Celtic, one was the late Tommy Burns who was magnificent, and the other one is David Moyes. He’s got a rather big game coming up, and I just wonder if they can win and say ‘thanks it’s been a blast everybody,’ I think that would be quite significant.

“Regardless of what happens in the final against Fiorentina, I think David might think that this is an opportunity for him to take a team, who by the way, are winning every week. It’s not as if they need to rebuild themselves, he’d obviously bring in new players, but if Ange Postecoglou does go, he’s leaving David an opportunity that’s almost a no-brainer.

“Despite some criticism over some signings at West Ham, they’ve finished relatively strong. Six weeks ago, they were staring down the barrel thinking they were involved in a relegation fight, but they got results, they beat Man United 1-0 and all of a sudden, they distanced themselves with no problems.

“They’re in a huge final, and I know that for some people that competition might not mean an awful lot, but when you’re in a final you want to win it and they have an opportunity to go out and do that.

“West Ham are such a traditional team, they talk about Billy Bonds, Bobby Moore and Trevor Brooking, those players still resonate with the fans. They haven’t been getting European football at West Ham and you can say what you want about David Moyes, but he’s taken them to the final of the Europa Conference League and if they win it, they will party big time.”

Next permanent Celtic boss - latest odds:

• Kjetil Knutsen - 6/4 fav
• Enzo Maresca - 2/1
• Brendan Rodgers - 5/1
• David Moyes - 12/1
• John Kennedy - 14/1
• Jesse Marsch - 16/1
• Andoni Iraola - 16/1
• Graham Potter - 20/1
• Kieran McKenna - 20/1
• Steve Clarke - 25/1
• Steven Gerrard - 33/1
• Neil Lennon - 40/1
• Kevin Muscat - 40/1
• Michael Carrick - 40/1
• Scott Brown 50/1
• Francesco Farioli - 50/1