Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna new favourite to replace Rodgers | OneFootball

For those of you who like a punt on the next Celtic manager, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has apparently had his price slashed from 20/1 into 11/10 favourite to become the next permanent manager of Celtic. Quite the punt…

Kieran McKenna, Manager of Ipswich Town, applauds the fans following the Premier League match between Ipswich Town FC and Brentford FC at Portman Road on May 10, 2025. (Photo by Richard Pelham/Getty Images)

Meanwhile previous market leader Ange Postecoglou has seen his price drift out to 2/1, despite being as short as even money earlier today.

Betfred’s Robert Ford told The Celtic Star all about the Celtic manager market this afternoon:

“After receiving plenty of backing from punters this morning, Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has overtaken Ange Postecoglou in the betting to become the new 11/10 favourite to be the next permanent Celtic manager.

Ange Postecoglou, Manager of Nottingham Forest, looks on prior to the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD2 match between Nottingham Forest FC and FC Midtjylland at City Ground on October 02, 2025 in Nottingham, England. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

“Postecoglou has been pushed out to 2/1 from even money, whilst current interim manager Martin O’Neill, who returned to the club last night in the wake of Brendan Rodgers’ resignation, is fourth place in the market at 9/1 behind former player Shaun Maloney at 7/1.

“Ferencváros boss and ex-Celtic forward Robbie Keane is at 12/1 alongside Bodø/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen and Euro 2020 winning manager Roberto Mancini.

“Manchester United legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy can be found at 14/1 alongside former RB Leipzig boss Marco Rose.”

And what of the rest of the Next Celtic Manager odds? Well aside from the favourite, Kieran McKenna at 11/10, and Ange Postecoglou at 2/1. We have the new interim team, Shaun Maloney – 7/1 and Martin O’Neill at 9/1.

Kjetil Knutsen, Head Coach of Bodo/Glimt looks on during the UEFA Champions League Second Qualifying Round First Leg match between Linfield and Bodo/Glimt at Windsor Park on July 19, 2022 in Belfast. (Photo by Charles McQuillan/Getty Images)

After that it is Kjetil Knutsen – 12/1, Robbie Keane – 12/1, Roberto Mancini – 12/1, Marco Rose – 14/1, Ruud van Nistelrooy – 14/1, Damien Duff – 16/1, Edin Terzic – 16/1, Michael Carrick – 16/1, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer – 16/1, and Wilfried Nancy – 16/1

There it is — Celtic’s future reduced to a list of names, prices, and probabilities, each one like a horse in a race we likely never meant to enter.

So, who do you fancy? I’m pretty underwhelmed by that list, but then I’m still hoping Brendan and Dermot can kiss and make up, or I’m going to at least wake up soon from this bad dream.

So, Rodgers is gone, O’Neill’s back from the wilderness, Desmond’s breathing fire, and the bookmakers are having the time of their lives as the fanbase absorbs a crazy few hours. The club might be in crisis, but for the betting markets, it’s a case of ‘show me the money.’

Kieran McKenna was previously he has been linked with both Manchester United and Brighton after leading Ipswich Town to back-to-back promotions and Sky Sports News are running with this story this afternoon.

Kieran McKenna, Manager of Ipswich Town, applauds the fans following the Championship match between Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town at Riverside Stadium on October 17, 2025. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

McKenna, the cool, data-driven young thing from Ipswich, has emerged as the punters’ pick it seems, although it doesn’t take much money to shift a market like that. He’s is 38, sharp as a tack, and looks like he’d order oat milk without blushing. He’s the type of manager that football executives convince themselves represents “modernisation.”

So, it’s strange that the money’s coming in fast for McKenna when Dermot Desmond is likely to be front and centre of any appointment. Just saying!

And then there’s Ange Postecoglou, drifting out to 2/1. The prodigal son of the first great Celtic rebuild of the 2020s. The man who gave us attacking football, inverted full-backs, and one of the most satisfying “you never stop” soundbites in football history. Back to finish the job? Maybe. But the odds drifting suggest that’s not so likely now perhaps.

So, behind them, amongst the runners and riders, we have Maloney, O’Neill, Knutsen, Keane, Mancini, Rose, and van Nistelrooy, names scattered across the footballing universe, bound together by one common thread, someone, somewhere, thinks they could fix Celtic, or at least thought it was worth a sky diver at the odds.

Former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill walks up towards the stadium with the trophy during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Aberdeen at Celtic Park on May 24, 2023. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

It’s the kind of list you read at 1 a.m. and start questioning reality. Are we really debating Wilfried Nancy and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer for the Celtic job while Martin O’Neill’s sharpening a pencil at Lennoxtown? Yes. Because this is Celtic 2025, where the surreal is the new normal.

The bookmakers, as ever, want to encourage us to part with our cash. It’s all a bit of fun, bet responsibly folks, and all that. After all, they’re not just setting odds, they’re reading our desperation.

Invincible by Matt Corr. The story of Brendan Rodgers’s first season as Celtic manager. Click on cover to order …

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