Celtic Lose Set-Piece Coach Strachan to West Brom With Backroom in Flux | OneFootball

Six years, four managers, and more set-pieces than any of us can count – and now Gavin Strachan is gone.

Gavin Strachan has left Celtic after six years as a first-team coach, joining West Bromwich Albion as part of James Morrison’s new backroom staff – a departure that strips Martin O’Neill of the club’s longest-serving coaching specialist at the worst possible moment.

The news lands at a time of genuine uncertainty around the coaching structure at Celtic Park, with O’Neill still bedding in after his appointment as manager and the full shape of his permanent staff yet to be confirmed. Strachan’s exit, reported widely across Celtic-focused media, is not officially denied and is treated as confirmed by those closest to the club.

Strachan, 47 and son of former Celtic and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, joined the club in June 2020 under Neil Lennon, taking over from Damien Duff as first-team coach. He was retained by Ange Postecoglou in 2021 and again carried over when Brendan Rodgers returned for his second spell – a rare constant through an era that has been anything but settled.

His specialism was set-pieces and opposition analysis, and internally he was regarded as the club’s lead set-piece coach. That is not a role you replace with a phone call and a handshake the week before pre-season. It is detailed, cumulative work, and whoever fills that gap will be starting from scratch.

Reports indicate that family ties in the Midlands played a part in the decision, and BBC Sport frames the move as part of the reshaping of Morrison’s backroom at West Brom, with Morrison said to have welcomed Strachan’s “new perspectives” for their Championship campaign. Fine for them. Less fine for us.

Here’s the thing – this does not happen in isolation. Celtic are still working through coaching staff restructuring at the assistant manager level, with Efrain Juarez among those in discussions, while Shaun Maloney and Mark Fotheringham have reportedly been in tense contract talks after initially being offered reduced terms despite delivering the league and cup double. Lose Strachan, stall on Maloney and Fotheringham, and the backroom begins to look precarious.

O’Neill’s early challenges are already significant, with Champions League qualifying on the horizon and a pre-season that includes a high-profile friendly against AC Milan at Celtic Park. He needs a settled, experienced coaching group around him – not a jigsaw with pieces still missing.

Attention now turns firmly to who comes in. A set-piece and analysis specialist needs to be identified and appointed before the squad reports back for pre-season work in Ireland and Portugal. The clock is not standing still.

Mon The Hoops.