Danny Rohl's Rapid Rise in Coaching
Danny Rohl’s rise has been rapid. Now it is attracting exactly the kind of attention Rangers feared – and perhaps expected.
The 37-year-old is on Bayer Leverkusen’s shortlist for their next head coach, with reports in Germany placing him among a cluster of candidates being monitored across the continent. Bild notes that Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner is viewed as the leading option by the Bundesliga champions, while Girona’s highly rated Michel is also in the frame, but Rohl’s name sits firmly in that elite company.
For Rangers, the intrigue comes with a twist. Sky Germany reports that Rohl is under no threat at Ibrox and is not about to jump at the first offer from Germany. Wolfsburg, relegated from the Bundesliga, are unlikely to tempt him. Union Berlin and Leverkusen, though, are different propositions – stable, ambitious and plugged into European competition. Those are the types of jobs that test a manager’s resolve.
If Rohl is one of the hottest coaching properties in Europe, Kieran McKenna is not far behind. Fresh from hauling Ipswich Town into the Premier League, the 38-year-old has been linked with a string of clubs, but Football Insider claims he will shut the door on any summer approaches from Celtic, Crystal Palace or Fulham. Promotion has changed Ipswich’s landscape and, for now, McKenna appears determined to write the next chapter in Suffolk rather than Glasgow or London.
Celtic’s Summer Activity
Celtic, meanwhile, are busy on several fronts as a pivotal summer takes shape.
The Scottish champions are among the clubs to have made initial enquiries for Huddersfield Town winger Cameron Ashia. Rangers and Fulham have also checked in, while Burnley, Cardiff City, Hoffenheim, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Stuttgart have all registered interest in the 21-year-old, according to the Daily Mail. The attraction is obvious: Ashia could be prised away for as little as £500,000, despite Huddersfield activating an option to extend his deal by a further year. For a cluster of clubs looking for value and upside, that fee is a flashing light.
Celtic’s wide areas could look very different by the end of the window. Daizen Maeda, the relentless forward whose work rate has become a hallmark of the side, is now on the radar of several Premier League clubs, Football Insider reports. At 28, and edging towards a possible exit from Glasgow, Maeda represents both a proven performer and a potential profit point. If England comes calling with serious money, Celtic have a decision to make.
There is movement on the opposite flank as well. The National reports that Lech Poznan have lodged a cut‑price £2m bid for Luis Palma after his loan spell in Poland. The 26-year-old has clearly done enough to convince Lech he is worth a permanent deal, and Celtic now hold a straightforward choice: cash in, or bring him back into a squad that may already be undergoing a refresh out wide.
Not every returning loanee will have such clarity. Shin Yamada is heading back to Celtic after his stint with Preussen Munster, with The Herald reporting that head coach Alois Schwartz plans a major overhaul following the club’s relegation to Germany’s third tier. Yamada, 25, re-enters a Celtic dressing room where competition is fierce and the margins are thin. His future, like so many in this window, hangs on how bold the club chooses to be.
Managers in demand, wingers on the move, bids landing on desks from Poland to the Premier League. The summer has barely started, but Scotland’s biggest clubs are already deep in the kind of market that can define a season – or reshape an entire era.
