O’Neill and Maloney Set for Crunch Talks as Former Striker Reveals his “Hope”

Celtic interim duo Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney are reportedly set to sit down with the Celtic hierarchy in the coming days to discuss their futures and what lies ahead for the management team.

The outcome of those talks remains unclear, but they come at a crucial time with Celtic conducting managerial interviews in London this week as part of their ongoing search for Brendan Rodgers’ permanent successor.

Celtic have held talks in London this week with various targets as they continue their search for a new manager 🍀

Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy, Bodo/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen and Ipswich Town’s Kieran McKenna are believed to be among the names the club are considering. pic.twitter.com/pQyaBKhs3p

— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) November 12, 2025

Despite that process ramping up, O’Neill still has strong backing from those who know him best, including former Celtic striker John Hartson, who told Sky Sports he hopes his old boss gets the chance to lead the Hoops out for next month’s Premier Sports Cup Final.

Hartson said:

“I think he was the perfect appointment at the time. Martin knows the blueprint, he’s had a lot of success at the club. He would certainly command the respect of the players and for Martin to have come in, he won the semi-final a couple of weeks ago, he’s won the league games.

I hope he gets the cup final, I really do hope he gets that and I think it’ll be a good thing because it’ll give the players a lift.

And like he said to me when I was very unwell, he said, ‘John, just wake up every morning now son and smell the coffee.’ And I think that’s what he’d like to do now — and that’s what I’d like to say to him.”

O’Neill has made a strong short-term impact since returning to the dugout, steadying the ship with wins over Falkirk, Rangers and Kilmarnock, while restoring energy and belief within the squad.

Whether he stays on beyond the cup final remains to be seen, but his return has undoubtedly reignited the feel-good factor around the club during a turbulent period.

Celtic will hopefully be in a position over the next few days to communicate with fans their plans and what we can expect over the next few weeks.