The Wales boss is on the shortlist of candidates to potentially replace Martin O’Neill in the summer
Sorba Thomas isn’t surprised former Newcastle United and Liverpool forward Craig Bellamy is attracting attention from Celtic among other clubs as Wales’ failure to qualify for the World Cup has cast doubt on his head coach future.
Bellamy, who had a brief loan spell at Celtic Park as a player while also featuring for Newcastle United, Liverpool and more, took over the Welsh National Team in 2024. The Dragons were minutes away from setting up an all or nothing play-off final with Italy but conceded a late equaliser against Bosnia, who then won on penalties to end their World Cup dream. After a gruelling campaign, there are now rumours circulating that the Wales boss may try his hand at club management, with Celtic one side linked.
Wales international Thomas has echoed the thoughts of former Celtic man, Joe Ledley, who stated earlier in the week Bellamy would be a ‘perfect fit’ for the Celtic job. With current boss Martin O’Neill set to leave the club in the summer, the Hoops hierarchy must start looking ahead to next season and beyond for viable candidates. Bellamy also has experience coaching at club level from when he worked under Vincent Kompany at Burnley.
Thomas ‘not surprised’ at Bellamy links
The Stoke City winger outlined Bellamy’s man-management abilities and knack of getting the best out of his players. He told Welsh media: “You can see how different it is and what he’s brought out of the players. Not just myself, but a lot of the boys.
“You are seeing some of the boys playing their best football. It’s amazing to see. I feel my game has elevated since he became involved and it’s helped me at club level as well. I’m not surprised that he is a man in demand. I don’t blame teams trying to nab him off us and we’ve got to try and keep him as long as possible because I feel success is going to come.”
Wales missed out on automatic qualification by only two points to Belgium in what was another campaign where they significantly improved. Bellamy’s passion and enthusiasm has regenerated the strong relationship between the team and the fans, similar to what they had at Euro 2016, when they famously reached the semi-finals.
Who else is in the running for the Celtic job?
While there is still a chance that Celtic hold on to O’Neill beyond the summer, a number of names have already been bandied about for his replacement. Ferencvaros boss and former Hoops loanee, Robbie Keane remains in the running. He steered the Budapest side to title glory last season and is now going for back-to-back league wins. The Irishman was linked with a return to another of his former clubs, Tottenham Hotspur, however now they’ve appointed Roberto De Zerbi instead, giving Celtic the green light to pursue Keane.
Closer to home, Motherwell boss, Jens Berthel Askou is another candidate linked with the Celtic vacancy. The Dane has transformed the Steelmen this season, who’ve received plaudits for their free-flowing style of football. Askou has played down talks of a club switch so far this season, claiming he’s fully focused on matters at Fir Park.
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