Roy Keane wrote in his new book that he was indeed offered the Celtic job by majority shareholder Dermott Desmond but eventually declined the offer.
‘I got a call: would I go and have a chat with Dermot Desmond? I’d met him once before, in 2005, when I was signing to play for Celtic.
‘At the end of the chat, he said: ‘The job is yours’.
During that period the press were all geared up to roll in Roy Keane as Celtic’s new manager, many printing that it was a done deal. But although Dermot Desmond wanted Roy Keane as the next Celtic manager some at Celtic Park where not so enthused.
‘I got in touch with Celtic’s chief executive, Peter Lawwell and asked him to give me a ballpark figure before negotiations got going.
‘He mentioned a figure and he said: ‘But that’s it’. Paul (From LMA) told me there were a lot of clauses in the contract that he wasn’t happy with. And the figures were non-negotiable.
‘I got my head around that. But it felt a bit too familiar. I had been down this road before when I signed for Celtic as a player.
‘They just didn’t show me that they wanted me and I was happier staying in the Ireland job.’
A lot of Celtic fans were relieved when Roy didn’t take the job, social media at the time predominantly against the Irishman taking the job.
Ronny Deila was eventually unveiled as the Celtic manager after accepting the restrictions and limitations put in place by the board.
Roy Keane has took up an assistant post at Aston Villa, juggling his responsibilities between former Celts Martin O’Neill and Paul Lambert.
