By Aidan Connor
Roberto Martínez’s name has been in the news a lot recently, popping up in every conversation about Celtic’s next manager, and yet it’s the kind of name that gets whispered and dismissed almost immediately — which is exactly why he’s a perfect place to kick off this series. Not because he’s the obvious choice, but because he forces you to think about what Celtic really needs next. The connections aren’t as tenuous as they first seem. Martínez has a long-standing relationship with Shaun Maloney from their time together at Wigan Athletic, then with the Belgium national team. They have a shared philosophy that values technical quality and positional play over physicality, using intelligent movement to exploit spaces, and while that doesn’t hand him a direct ticket to Parkhead, it does put him closer to the club than his reputation might suggest. Then there’s the small, human detail – his wife is from Motherwell. We aren’t exactly “pinning the tartan on him”, but it is relevant when considering a manager’s openness to the Scottish game and life outside the traditional elite leagues. The real sticking point, of course, is timing. Martínez is tied to the Portugal National Team until the end of the World Cup, and with Portugal expected to go deep into the tournament, he wouldn’t be available during the summer, precisely when Celtic desperately need a manager for Champions League qualifiers and a major squad overhaul. That alone is a practical nightmare. So yes, he’s probably unrealistic in the short term, but his profile – international pedigree, a possession-first approach, and experience operating within structured setups – makes him a fascinating thought experiment. Not a prediction, not a done deal, just a question – would Celtic ever actually go for someone like Roberto Martínez, and more importantly, should they?
Any discussion around Roberto Martínez and Celtic has to start with an uncomfortable truth, that his reputation has always slightly outpaced his honours list, and while that doesn’t automatically rule him out, it immediately frames the debate. This is a club where winning the league is the baseline, not the aspiration, and Martínez’s managerial club CV doesn’t scream serial winner, particularly when measured against a club whose expectation is winning everything domestically with style. His career has followed a consistent pattern. At Swansea City, he delivered promotion to the Premier League in 2008–09 and embedded a possession-based style that felt revolutionary at that level, but again the identity mattered more than the silverware, and that same story followed him to Wigan Athletic, where relegation became the headline even though it came alongside a genuinely remarkable FA Cup win in 2013 against Manchester City. At Everton, he guided the club to fifth-place Premier League finishes in 2012/13 and 2013/14 and an FA Cup final in 2014, overperforming relative to budget but still without silverware. With only one major club trophy, for us as supporters accustomed to trophies being the norm, that will rightly trigger hesitation and bring back Nancy trauma. Context does matter though. Martínez has spent most of his club career managing against financial constraints, coaching sides whose ambitions were survival, which makes direct comparisons with Celtic inherently flawed. Internationally, however, it is a different standard of CV. His work with the Belgium National Team after inheriting a so-called golden generation, delivering a World Cup semi-final in 2018, a third-place finish, and maintaining Belgium as the FIFA World No. 1 for a sustained period does reflect consistent competitiveness across tournaments even if criticism followed for not fully maximising that squad as it aged. Since taking over the Portugal National Team in 2023, he has added winning the 2024–25 UEFA Nations League, demonstrating his ability to succeed in a short tournament format, though still in a context far removed from the relentless weekly demands of Celtic.
Managing Celtic means sustaining intensity across 38 league games, an expected 12 Champions League games (reaching the knockout stages), and 9 cup games (if you count us reaching the finals in the League Cup and Scottish Cup). You also need to respond instantly to setbacks and treat every dropped point as a crisis (but not let the media think you think it’s a crisis). Martínez hasn’t lived in that sort of weekly pressure cooker for over a decade. Yet there is evidence of a winning mentality that aligns with the domestic dominant approach we expect in a Celtic team. His teams try to dominate games, impose structure, and dictate tempo regardless of opponent, which aligns with what Celtic experience in a season – going from low blocks in our league to facing the best players in the world in the Champions League every few days It also aligns with what we want in a Celtic team – the ability to compete no matter the opposition. The lingering question is whether that control can be translated back into club football after a decade?
If there is one area where Roberto Martínez’s profile starts to sit more comfortably with Celtic’s operating model, it is player development. Throughout his career, Martínez has worked in environments where maximising what you already have is essential in terms of playing personnel; that experience matters at a club such as Celtic, where even during periods of domestic dominance, we still operate within clear financial limits that we self-impose. Martínez’s multilingual ability and deep knowledge of European football align particularly well with Celtic’s multicultural squad. Currently we have 19 different nationalities in our first team, and effective communication is essential for tactical cohesion, integration, and motivation. Martínez’s experience navigating diverse leagues and languages allows him to connect with players individually, communicate expectations clearly, and adapt coaching to different cultural and footballing backgrounds. This would be an asset in a squad where talent comes from across the globe.
Further to this, we currently have several players who have underperformed or been inconsistent this season. Daizen Maeda is a shadow of the player he was last season, Reo Hatate looks lost in the middle of the pitch and Nygren, who has been our best signing this season, is also incredibly inconsistent. Martínez’s experience with players in transitional phases, whether at club or international level, demonstrates that he can rebuild confidence, refocus individuals, and extract maximum output from them while maintaining team structure and collective responsibility. This skill is especially relevant given Celtic’s upcoming summer, which will see a major squad overhaul. Many contracts are expiring this summer, including Julián Araujo, Kelechi Iheanacho, Tomas Cvancara, Marcelo Saracchi, James Forrest, and Kasper Schmeichel, while other players, such as Daizen Maeda, Luke McCowan, Anthony Ralston, Stephen Welsh, and Adam Montgomery will enter the final year of their deals in 2026–27. Celtic’s model also prefers to move players before they enter the last two years of their contracts, meaning additional departures, potentially including Hatate and Engels, should be expected.
With Martinez, I think we also get the Rodgers pedigree – the experience of working with world-class players and implementing a philosophy at the highest level, with a proven track record of people buying into that philosophy. He implemented a coaching legacy programme with the Belgium National Team, guiding 21 former players through coaching qualifications so they could contribute after retirement, including Thomas Vermaelen, Steven Defour, and Sébastien Pocognoli (current manager of Monaco). When taking over Portugal, he applied the similar principle of nurturing by helping to bring in the next generation of the National Team. João Neves, António Silva and Nuno Mendes are examples of players brought into the fold, and yes, I am sure they would have eventually made their way, but a manager willing to trust youth in demanding environments at the highest stage is what we would like in a Celtic manager. He also helped to phase out players slowly, like Ronaldo and Pepe, something we need to start thinking about with McGregor and Forrest as they both age. The success in doing so is even more significant when you think of the ego of Ronaldo. Further to this, Martinez was able to control a squad and keep it together, focused on winning after the sad death of Diogo Jota. Martinez can certainly man-manage.
That experience of developing youth players is what we are looking for in a Celtic manager. There has long been a sense of frustration around the lack of consistent academy progression into the first team. Despite strong investment in youth infrastructure, too few players have made the sustained transition from the B team into meaningful senior first-team roles. Martínez’s methodology involves using elite performers as reference points while integrating younger players gradually within a collective framework, offering credible pathways to addressing that disconnect. This ensures that the team remains focused on structure and collective responsibility rather than individual stardom. He creates an environment where young players can develop without being overexposed or marginalised. His vision is fundamentally long-term and process-driven, built on incremental improvement and squad-wide growth, a philosophy that aligns closely with Celtic’s stated ambition of developing internal talent rather than relying solely on external recruitment. The concern though, is intensity. Player development at Celtic cannot come at the expense of results, and Martínez’s patient streak has at times drawn criticism, particularly at the international level, where loyalty to underperforming players has frustrated supporters. Still, as a developer, tactically, technically, and psychologically, Martínez’s credentials are strong and in a Celtic context where improving assets is as important as acquiring them, this is an area that significantly strengthens his case. His record shows that he can take undervalued or unrefined players and turn them into dependable, system-orientated performers.
Tactically, with Martinez, the challenge comes against how his tactics would perform against low blocks in Scotland. Martínez’s sides are comfortable circulating possession but can drift into predictable patterns if the tempo drops or movement ahead of the ball becomes static. The difference between dominance and irritation is the ability to turn control into repeatable, high-quality chances, and Martínez’s teams have not always been ruthless in that regard. Celtic’s squad presents both opportunity and challenge in this respect. Players such as Callum McGregor, Alastair Johnston, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kieran Tierney, and Jota provide the technical ability, mobility, and tactical intelligence to execute a possession-based game, but consistency, intensity, and individual quality will be crucial for translating control into goals. The issue is that this summer those 5 players could all be missing. There is talk of a Scotland return for McGregor for the World Cup, alongside Tierney making the squad. Johnston, Carter-Vickers and Jota are all coming back from long-term injuries. Football wise, his emphasis on technical security, spacing, and structured build-up play align with Celtic’s principles of what we are looking for in our next manager. In terms of recruitment, there is also an alignment. Celtic’s recruitment model prioritises ball-playing defenders (Trusty, Carter-Vickers, Jenz, Starfelt) progressive midfielders (Bernardo, O’Riley, Engels) and mobile forwards (Idah, Cvancara, Giakoumakis). These are profiles that would theoretically thrive in a Martínez system. The presence of Shaun Maloney as part of the coaching team would also be invaluable. As a former Celtic player who understands the club’s culture, he can help smooth the transition for players, instill confidence in the squad, and reinforce Martínez’s tactical philosophy, particularly after a period of instability under Wilfred Nancy and the departure of Martin O’Neill. Maloney’s familiarity with the environment and his credibility with players would help ensure that Martínez’s ideas are implemented without resistance, increasing the likelihood of early buy-in and cohesion.
At the international level, Martínez has demonstrated a willingness to adapt shape without abandoning principles, regularly shifting Belgium between a back three and a back four to balance attacking intent with defensive stability. That adaptability would be valuable in European competition, where Celtic have often struggled against tactically disciplined teams. The concern, though, lies in the intensity and speed of execution. Scottish football demands quick circulation, aggressive counter-pressing, and relentless attacking pressure and Martínez’s sides can sometimes feel measured rather than overwhelming. There is also an element of risk in his commitment to building from the back, particularly on poor pitches or against opponents who aim to disrupt rhythm rather than engage in open play. Any serious discussion about Roberto Martínez as a potential Celtic manager has to confront the club’s operating model head-on. Celtic do not appoint managers and give them control over recruitment, nor do they reshape the club around individual demands. Success at Parkhead requires collaboration, compromise, and acceptance of structural limits. In that sense, Martínez’s background cuts both ways. At Swansea City and Wigan Athletic, he operated under clear financial constraints, relying on undervalued players and internal development rather than marquee signings, which points to a manager comfortable working within limits. There are, however, legitimate questions about appetite and tolerance for frustration, particularly in a Celtic context. The club’s operating model often forces managers into situations where they are the public face for unpopular decisions, with the board quietly setting parameters behind the scenes. Players will be sold without adequate replacements, long-term targets may be blocked by financial or strategic considerations, and the manager can find themselves blamed for decisions largely outside their control. The Celtic environment rarely shields managers from scrutiny. European exits, unexpected domestic defeats, or even minor tactical missteps are immediately magnified in a fanbase conditioned to expect dominance and swift results. This is compounded by the instability of this season. The club has seen managerial turbulence, high-profile exits, and inconsistent approaches to transfers, leaving players wary of change and sceptical of new methods. Implementing a possession-based, positional philosophy would require patience, persuasion, and credibility, and even then, some players may resist until they see results. Martínez would need to establish authority quickly, demonstrate clear communication, and gain trust across a diverse squad while also dealing with the press and fans’ expectations. Trusted intermediaries like Shaun Maloney might be critical in this process, providing continuity, reassurance, and a bridge between the manager’s vision and the squad’s day-to-day realities.
Why a lot of people believe Martinez could make that jump is because of his own playing history in Scotland. His time at Motherwell gave him first-hand exposure to the realities of Scottish football, the physical demands, the winter conditions, the compressed fixture lists, the intensity of domestic rivalries and the unique scrutiny placed on managers operating in a one-club-dominant environment. While the Scottish game has evolved significantly since then, that grounding matters. Martínez would not be arriving blind to the cultural, logistical or emotional pressures that come with managing in Scotland, nor to the expectations placed on a club like Celtic, where control is assumed and dropped points are magnified. That lived experience should give him a clearer understanding of what he is walking into than many external candidates whose knowledge of Scottish football is purely observational. Timing, as previously mentioned however, remains the major complication. Martínez is contracted to Portugal through the World Cup, and with Portugal expected to go deep, he would not be available during the summer, precisely when Champions League qualifiers demand a manager in place, active and fully embedded. Any leadership vacuum during those weeks risks undermining the entire European campaign, making an immediate appointment highly problematic. That said, Martínez’s familiarity with tournament preparation, high-intensity match cycles and tactical adaptation against elite opposition could bring longer-term benefits if he arrived post-World Cup. He understands how to manage short recovery periods, rotation and game-specific plans – skills that transfer directly to European club football and address areas where Celtic have repeatedly fallen short. However, in a counter-argument this summer, Celtic are not looking at cosmetic tweaks but structural renewal. Defensively a long-term successor to Kasper Schmeichel will be required, at least one, arguably two centre-halves due to Carter-Vickers’ long-term injury, a left-back as Tierney will need a break coming off the World Cup. Midfield depth will need reinforcing with one or two additions as Hatate and Engels are expected to leave and the attacking unit is likely to require four or five new options across wide and central areas. A lot of work and little time.
Then comes the question of recruitment, or as the Celtic board likes to call it, since we don’t have a scouting department – who do you know? Martínez’s club career suggests historically, his recruitment record is a mixed bag. The clearest example of success remains Romelu Lukaku. Martínez signed Lukaku permanently for Everton for around £28 million, built a system that maximised his output, and ultimately saw him sold on for a fee rising to approximately £75 million. That transaction alone reflects a profile Celtic’s board strongly favours – identifying elite upside, building around it, and monetising at peak value. There are other positive examples. James McCarthy and James McArthur were signed from Wigan for modest fees and developed into established Premier League midfielders, while Ross Barkley was nurtured into a high-value asset before being sold for a significant return. Crucially for Celtic, Martínez has also shown a clear and repeated willingness to recruit from Scottish football – not as a last resort, but as a deliberate strategy. At Wigan and Swansea, he regularly identified players from Scottish clubs who were undervalued by the wider market. James McCarthy and James McArthur were recruited from Hamilton Academical for relatively small fees and became cornerstone players under his management. Shaun Maloney and Gary Caldwell were signed directly from Celtic and entrusted with key roles, not simply squad depth. Conor Sammon arrived from Kilmarnock, and Fraser Fyvie from Aberdeen, while Jason Scotland and Dorus de Vries were brought in from St Johnstone and Dunfermline, respectively, during Martínez’s Swansea rebuild. That history matters. It suggests a manager who understands the Scottish market, respects its player base, and is comfortable trusting individuals stepping up from domestic football into higher-pressure environments.
That said, his record is not without failures. High-profile missteps such as Oumar Niasse, signed for close to £18 million, and Ramiro Funes Mori, brought in for around £12 million, underline a tendency at times to overestimate how quickly players can adapt to new leagues and expectations. Both were ultimately moved on at a loss. These errors are part of Martínez’s profile and cannot be ignored. For Celtic, however, the broader pattern remains appealing. In the context of a significant summer overhaul, Martínez’s experience managing changing squads, bedding in multiple signings and maintaining identity through transition becomes a genuine strength. He understands recruitment as an evolving process rather than a quick fix. For a Celtic hierarchy focused on asset growth and long-term planning rather than short-term excess, that alignment would be central to any serious consideration of his candidacy, but if he is to make more high-profile recruitment mistakes, how quickly will he lose the trust of the board?
Roberto Martínez is not a natural Celtic appointment, but he is a credible one. He brings intelligence, elite-level man-management, and a tactical philosophy that aligns with how Celtic wants to play, particularly in Europe. His experience handling superstars, includingRonaldo, Kevin De Bruyne, Lukaku, Courtois, Bruno Fernandes and high-pressure environments, suggests he could manage the dressing room and the noise that comes with the job. However, the lack of serial domestic club dominance in his CV and the timing conflict with Champions League qualifiers make the risk real and immediate. Ultimately, Martínez would be a long-term, strategic appointment rather than a quick fix. If Celtic want instant certainty, he is not the answer. If they want a moderniser capable of steadying and evolving the club over time, he is a gamble worth taking.
