Celtic must hire 4-2-3-1 ‘attacking’ boss who is ‘perfect’

Celtic have been searching for their next permanent head coach since Brendan Rodgers tendered his resignation from the role early last week.

Martin O’Neill has taken charge of the Scottish giants for the two matches since the Northern Ireland manager left Parkhead, and oversaw victories against Falkirk and Rangers.

The instant impact of the experienced manager at Parkhead gave the board some time to find the right person for the job, rather than having to make a rushed decision due to a need for short-term results.

One thing the next manager needs to be able to do is coach a team to score goals consistently, as this is the area of ​​Rodgers’ performance that has been lacking the most this season.

As you can see in the table above, Celtic have failed to score in more games in Rodgers’ 16 appearances this season than in 57 outings during the 2025/26 campaign, which is a big cause for concern.

The Hoops must find their next version from Australian head coach Ange Postecoglou, whose side have rarely struggled to find the back of the net.

Why Celtic need to find their next Postecoglou Angel

During his two seasons at Celtic, the former Spurs and Nottingham Forest manager ensured that the Scottish giants were goal-scoring machines in all competitions.

Postecoglou won five trophies in two years at Parkhead, including three domestic cups and two Scottish Premiership titles, according to Transfermarkt, showing he has been successful and capable of coaching exciting, attacking football.

The 60-year-old head coach had the perfect mix of results and style, which is why he was the perfect manager for the club at the time, before his move to Tottenham in 2023.

As you can see in the table above, Celtic have only managed to score in 11 of their 113 matches with Postecoglou as head coach in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 campaigns.

While the Hoops have failed to score in 11 of Rodgers’ last 73 matches since the start of last season, showing the Australian boss has been far more successful in coaching a cohesive attacking unit.

This is why the Celtic board are currently expected to be looking for a manager who could be their next version of Postecoglou, to bring attacking football back to Parkhead this season.

While the search for Rodgers’ permanent successor is underway, the Scottish giants have been asked to consider an international manager by a former player.

Celtic must hire offensive-minded international manager

Former Celtic central midfielder Joe Ledley has urged the Premiership champions to choose Wales head coach Craig Bellamy as their next head coach.

He told the Celtic Way: “There’s been a lot of connection here with Craig Bellamy. He’s had a fantastic start to his coaching career in Wales.

“There’s a lot of hype around him. The way Wales play has been fantastic – really attacking, always at the forefront. He would be a perfect option for Celtic.

Ledley added: “I told the people there that he would be a fantastic candidate for the Celtic job because of the way he plays. He always has an attacking mindset, is enthusiastic and lives and breathes football.”

Sky Sports reported last week that Bellamy was one of the names in line for the role, suggesting there is a chance the club could make a move for him.

Why Celtic should replace Craig Bellamy

The 46-year-old tactician is a really interesting managerial option as he has never managed a club at first-team level, meaning he would be entering a high-pressure environment at Celtic for the first time as a club manager.

This means it is difficult to say with certainty that Bellamy, who usually plays 4-2-3-1, as Postecoglou did, would be a success at Parkhead, as he does not have a history of coaching first-team clubs to draw on.

However, his work with Wales at international level suggests he has the ability to coach a team to attack well, as Ledley suggested in his comments.

Speaking on the High Performance podcast in September, Bellamy denied claims that playing from the back is a “risk”, saying he doesn’t think it’s a “risk” to play under pressure when you have a numerical advantage around your own box.

This mentality and way of coaching his team, as shown in the table above, has improved Wales both in terms of results and goals scored, as they win more points and score more goals than under the previous manager, Rob Page.

This shows he has demonstrable success in improving a team as an attacking force, something Celtic need after their struggles in front of goal early in the season under Rodgers.

Last year, Welsh striker Harry Wilson explained that Bellamy’s way of playing involves taking more risks when playing from the back, which helps build an attacking style of play that creates more chances for the attackers.

Therefore, Bellamy could be the next Postecoglou at Parkhead due to his desire to play forward and attacking football which is full of ‘risks’, even if the manager doesn’t see them as risks.

However, it still remains to be seen whether or not the former Celtic winger would be willing to leave his Wales post ahead of the World Cup next summer.