Sean Dyche has been tipped as a leading contender for the Celtic job, with talkSPORT told the Burnley manager would be ‘excited’ by the opportunity.
A host of top names in coaching have been linked with the role following news of Neil Lennon’s departure from the Celtic Park hotseat, including Frank Lampard, Rafael Benitez, Belgium boss Roberto Martinez and Scotland manager Steve Clarke.
But Jamie O’Hara and Darren Bent claim Dyche would be a great fit for the job, claiming he could emulate Brendan Rodgers by taking his career to the next level by winning trophies in Scotland.
Dyche has spent nine years in charge at Turf Moor, taking over from Eddie Howe in 2012, and has guided the club to two Premier League promotions during his tenure.
Their most recent promotion came as Burnley were crowned Championship winners in the 2015/16 season, and Dyche has earned widespread praise for keeping the club in the top flight ever since despite his meagre transfer budget.
Dyche’s current contract expires in 2022, when he would have been in charge for a decade, and there has been speculation over his future as the end of his deal approaches.
Former Premier League midfielder O’Hara believes Dyche has ‘taken Burnley as far as he can’ and the time has come for the talented coach to take the next step of his career, with Celtic presenting a brilliant opportunity.
Speaking on Thursday’s talkSPORT Breakfast, O’Hara said: “I look at Sean Dyche, who I think he’s an amazing manager for Burnley, has run that club extremely well on a tight budget and has kept them in the Premier League all these years and are always a great side that is tough to beat.
“I just feel, has he taken that club as far as he can take it?
“They’re never going to win anything. They’ll always be a Premier League outfit with Sean Dyche in charge, but he’s never going to really stamp his authority as a top class manager.
“You look at Brendan Rodgers, even though he was manager of Liverpool he went to Celtic and it really put him on a platform as a top class manager because he went there and won things.
“I look at Sean Dyche and think if he goes to Celtic and wins three or four titles then I think he deserves that because he has taken Burnley as far as he can take them.”
Bent agrees, and even claims news of the Celtic job opening up would have ‘excited’ the English coach.
“Sean Dyche has done brilliantly… but I think he’s taken Burnley as far as he can go,” said the ex-striker on Drivetime.
“They’ve had hardly any investment, so surely that’s one he will look at [the Celtic job] and it will excite him a little bit.
“If he left Burnley tomorrow, where is he going to go in the Premier League? You look around the Premier League and there is nowhere really. Maybe Southampton if Hasenhuttl goes, but other than that…
“So Celtic, a massive, massive football club, why not?”