Martin O’Neill to make Celtic return? Important announcement sparks rumour

Robin Bairner

1 Jan 2026 20:06 GMT
4 min read

Could Martin O’Neill be heading back to Celtic for a third stint in charge of the Parkhead club?

Article continues under the video

Following the cancellation of a public appearance from the Northern Irishman that was scheduled on Friday, rumours are abound that he could be poised to replace Wilfried Nancy in the dugout just weeks after the arrival of the Frenchman.

Nancy has overseen a catastrophic spell in charge of the Glasgow giants. The former Columbus Crew manager has seen his side suffer five defeats in seven matches at the helm, the latest of which arrived on Tuesday, when the Hoops were outplayed in a 2-0 loss against Motherwell.

The pressure has been heaped on the 48-year-old, with a large section of fans clamouring for the return of O’Neill.

Along with Shaun Maloney, the veteran manager enjoyed a temporary stint in the Parkhead hotseat that saw him win seven of eight matches.

Now there are rumours he could be heading back to the same role after Hoops podcast A Celtic State of Mind cancelled an event that was scheduled for Friday night.

⚠️ IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT ⚠️

MARTIN O’NEILL EVENT CANCELLED

I am sorry to report that our evening with Martin O’Neill at BAaD tomorrow night has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.

All ticket holders will receive a full refund through Skiddle. pic.twitter.com/MdNLZuVkTw
— A Celtic State Of Mind (ACSOM) (@ACSOMPOD) January 1, 2026

“Important announcement. Martin O’Neill event cancelled,” the post on X reads.

“I am sorry to report that our evening with Martin O’Neill at BAaD tomorrow night has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances beyond our control.”

O’Neill has also reportedly pulled out of working for Sky Sports during Saturday’s vital Glasgow derby against Rangers.

Celtic fans are speculating that this could mean a stunning return to the dugout for the 73-year-old.

“If you're wondering if I'm jumping to all sorts of crazy ideas, all of which lead to him being back as manager shortly, you'd be 1,000,000% right!” one fan wrote in reply to the tweet, though this was typical of the tone of responses.

O’Neill makes Celtic job admission

While performances under him in the autumn, when he arrived as a replacement for Brendan Rodgers, were not always strong, his mantra of putting results before style was one that worked.

O’Neill has already admitted that he would have stayed on if asked.

Speaking to TalkSport, he said: “I'd happily have stayed on.

“If they had asked me to stay on, I would've done so, but the minute that they said: 'No, that's your time,' that's fine by me.”

It would take a stunning about-turn from the Celtic board for O’Neill to return, but such has been the crazy nature of the season, such an eventuality does not seem so far-fetched.

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