MX23RW : Wednesday, May 1 03:11:43| >> :600:99838:99838:

The major tasks ahead of Neil Lennon at Celtic

The major tasks ahead of Neil Lennon at Celtic
© Reuters
The Northern Irishman helped the Hoops claim another treble this season.

Neil Lennon has been appointed Celtic's new permanent manager.

The Northern Irishman returned to Parkhead on a caretaker basis in February and has now been handed the reins full-time after the team successfully completed their push for a third consecutive domestic clean sweep.

But as the club looks to keep their tight grip on the Scottish game, there are some major tasks ahead of Lennon.

Here, Press Association Sport examines some of the short-term issues the 47-year-old needs to deal with.

Clear the deadwood

The most pressing job on Lennon's list will be trimming down a bloated squad that has helped see the club's total wage bill soar to £59million. Dorus De Vries, Scott Allan, Jeremy Toljan, Emilio Izaguirre and Cristian Gamboa are among those who have already gone but the likes of Marvin Compper, Youssouf Mulumbu, Conor Hazard, Eboue Kouassi and Daniel Arzani remain despite making little – if any – contribution on the pitch.

Strengthen the weak spots

Kieran Tierney has struggled with injury recently
Kieran Tierney has struggled with injury recently (Jeff Holmes/PA)

Celtic have swept all before them over the last three years but there have been signs recently that they could do with an injection of fresh blood. While Mikael Lustig has appeared to be winding down, he could yet be handed a new deal by Lennon – but cover at right-back will still be required. Back-up to Kieran Tierney is another priority following the left-back's injury troubles recently and in the goalkeeping department, there is doubts over Craig Gordon's future with the club after being ousted as number one. Dedryck Boyata and Filip Benkovic have departed and Jack Hendry has yet to convince, so Lennon could do with fresh options at centre-back. And up front, Odsonne Eduoard could do with someone else to push him given Leigh Griffiths' recent off-field troubles and Vakoun Bayo's lack of action.

Get up to speed for Europe

Celtic have previously had success in Europe under Lennon
Celtic have previously had success in Europe under Lennon (Lynne Cameron/PA)

The treble treble party has barely finished but Celtic find themselves back in competitive action in less than six weeks as they begin their Champions League bid. Lennon's squad have four rounds to negotiate if they want to make it all the way to the group stages and as they found last year with their third-round exit to AEK Athens, it can be a perilous journey if you are not up and running early.

Win over the doubters

News that Lennon had been given the job on a permanent basis did not exactly go down with unanimous acclaim from the Hoops faithful. Having grown accustomed to having a big name boss like Brendan Rodgers in charge, the fans were hoping for another stellar appointment such as Rafael Benitez. Lennon has credit in the bank following on from his previous stints as captain and manager of the club but there are those who remain sceptical about his abilities following his troubled spell at Bolton and acrimonious departure from Hibernian.

Work out the priorities

Lennon helped the Hoops secure their treble treble
Lennon helped the Hoops secure their treble treble (Jeff Holmes/PA)

Lennon successfully guided the Parkhead side to their ninth straight trophy last week against Hearts but with the holy grail of '10 in a row' coming into sight, the Celtic boss must now decide whether the time has come to focus on what really matters. The money generated by Champions League qualification means Europe will require full attention but fighting on all fronts domestically might yet stretch a squad that is likely to be pushed hard for the league title by Steven Gerrard's Rangers.

ga('create', 'UA-72310761-1', 'auto', {'name': 'pacontentapi'});
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'referrer', location.origin);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension1', 'By Andy Newport, Press Association Sport');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension2', 'ae8812bd-8ea3-4afe-b62f-73faf0cc57a0');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension3', 'paservice:sport,paservice:sport:club-news,paservice:sport:football,paservice:sport:uk');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension6', 'story');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension7', 'composite');
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension8', null);
ga('pacontentapi.set', 'dimension9', 'sport:football');
ga('pacontentapi.send', 'pageview', { 'location': location.href, 'page': (location.pathname + location.search + location.hash), 'title': 'The major tasks ahead of Neil Lennon at Celtic'});

ID:360803: cacheID:360803:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:9955:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Celtic boss Neil Lennon pictured on May 19, 2019
Read Next:
Celtic offer Lennon permanent manager's job after securing triple treble
>
Read more about Neil Lennon Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
Championship Group
1Celtic110082275581
2RangersRangers110074245078
3Hearts101046341263
4Kilmarnock10104334952
5St Mirren10013945-643
6Dundee10014556-1141
Relegation Group
1Hibernian11004752-542
2Aberdeen11003649-1338
3Motherwell10014652-637
4St Johnstone10012549-2431
5Ross County10013258-2630
6Livingston11002459-3521
 
First Phase
1Celtic33246380265478
2RangersRangers33243672234975
3Hearts33195946341262
4Kilmarnock33131284334951
5St Mirren33127143843-543
6Dundee331011124454-1041
7Hibernian33912124451-739
8Motherwell33813124651-537
9Aberdeen33811143549-1435
10St Johnstone33710162446-2231
11Ross County3379173256-2430
12Livingston3339212259-3718


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!