The Celtic manager's job is set to be a key talking point this summer as Martin O'Neill prepares to wave goodbye to Parkhead at the end of his second interim spell in charge.
It has been a season of upheaval at Celtic Park. Brendan Rodgers departed under a cloud, O'Neill stepped in on a caretaker basis, Wilfried Nancy was installed as permanent boss and lasted just 33 days before being shown the door.
O'Neill returned for a second interim spell alongside Shaun Maloney, and somehow in the middle of all that chaos, Celtic have remained in the title race — albeit five points behind pace-setters Hearts with time running out.
O'Neill has performed admirably, knocking Rangers out of the Scottish Cup twice and keeping the club fighting on multiple fronts.
A Scottish Cup final against St Mirren awaits at Hampden. Champions League football next season also remains possible, but O'Neill has been clear — he steps down at the end of the campaign, and Celtic desperately need to get their next permanent appointment right.
After the Nancy disaster, there is simply no room for another misstep.
Multiple names have been circulating.
Motherwell's Jens Berthel Askou has drawn widespread admiration for transforming the Steelmen into one of the Premiership's most impressive sides this season and remains a contender for the Celtic job.
Roberto Martinez — managing Portugal but expected to move on from that role — has been linked, with Rangers legend Ally McCoist publicly tipping him this week.
Wales boss Craig Bellamy has also been mentioned, so it is a shortlist of genuine intrigue.
According to The Guardian, though, one man has moved clear of the rest.
Robbie Keane in pole position for Celtic manager's job
Indeed, as per their information, Robbie Keane is now the frontrunner to take charge at Parkhead this summer, with Celtic's hierarchy making background plans for a significant restructuring of football operations.
The report, by Ewan Murray, states that those in power at the club believe the 45-year-old Irishman would be receptive to a move to Glasgow — a city he knows well from a brief but brilliant loan spell as a player in 2010, when he scored 16 goals in just 19 appearances.
What makes Keane's candidacy credible is not sentiment alone — it is his managerial record.
He won the Israeli title with Maccabi Tel Aviv in his only full season there, then crossed to Hungary where he guided Ferencvaros to the league championship last season and is on course for back-to-back titles.
Keane also served as assistant manager at Leeds United under Jesse Marsch, gaining valuable coaching experience at a major club navigating its own turbulent period.
Winning silverware in two different countries with limited resources is no small achievement, and it is that track record that has caught Celtic's eye.
The Irishman has been heavily linked with Tottenham in recent weeks following the sacking of Thomas Frank, but some reports suggest he has no interest in the interim role currently held by under-fire boss Igor Tudor.
That tells its own story — Keane wants a proper project, a long-term role he can build something with. Celtic can offer exactly that.
No formal approach will be made until the domestic season concludes, and Celtic will not be alone in chasing him with other British clubs monitoring the situation closely.
But for now, the Parkhead job appears to have Keane's name written all over it.