🎤 Neil Lennon Exclusive Interview with OLBG

Speaking exclusively to OLBG, former Celtic boss Neil Lennon has given Aberdeen a 5% chance of beating Brendan Rodgers’ side to Scottish Premiership glory.

Lennon has also discussed the ongoing leaks at his former club and admitted that they can cause paranoia, while hailing the idea of Jose Mourinho having a spell in Scottish football.

Lennon has also backed Virgil van Dijk to have what it takes to thrive at Barcelona or Real Madrid if he leaves Liverpool and praised Conor Bradley as being a ready-made replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Q: What have you made of Aberdeen’s start to the new season?

NL: “Aberdeen have been brilliant and all credit has to go to the new coach in Jimmy Thelin. 

“Their consistency in the league has been remarkable and even after the setback in the cup they bounced back to win in the league against Dundee.

“Their consistency in the league has been really strong and it'll be interesting for the neutrals to follow how long they can keep it up for.”

Q: What percentage chance do Aberdeen have of winning the title?

NL: “I just make Celtic so strong. They’re playing brilliantly at the minute and they have a real strength in depth which they haven’t had for a long time.

“Brendan Rodgers can rotate the team and keep his players fresh for all the tournaments they’re competing in including the League Cup and Champions League.

“I think it would be a miracle if Aberdeen were to overcome Celtic to win the title. I would give Aberdeen a 5% chance of winning it and that’s being generous.”

Q: Would Aberdeen’s achievement be one of the greatest in Scottish football history?

NL: “Jamie McGrath is a player I’ve always admired, he’s had a good career in Scotland. Jimmy Thelin is getting the best of him as well as Graeme Shinnie who has been a long-standing consistent performer and a really good captain there.

“The goalkeeper who they brought in from St. Johnstone, Dimitar Mitov, has given them that bit of stability. Topi Keskinen has done excellently on the wing and let’s not forget that they lost their talisman in Bojan Miovski who went to Girona for a lot of money.

“That was a big loss of a big game player. But they have kicked on and it’s a fantastic story. But being a realist, Celtic will be too strong over the course of the season.”

Q: What have you made of the improvement of Nicolas Kuhn?

NL: “Nicolas Kuhn struggled a little bit last year with a few injury problems and he had a dental problem as well. To me it looks like he's bulked up over the summer. 

“He looks broader, more muscular and stronger and I think that's been obviously a huge advantage for him. His numbers are fantastic, not only the goals that he's scoring but the assists as well. He just looks so strong and he's in devastating form at the minute.

“His ability to run at speed consistently throughout the game for long periods and he's a great finisher as well. 

“His goal against Kilmarnock sums up the season that he’s had. Being strong enough to shove off the defender and keeping his composure at speed. 

“He's having a wonderful time and it was a brilliant bit of business from Celtic, getting him from Rapid Vienna for three million shows how strong the recruitment is.”

Q: How much cash would Celtic want to sell Kuhn to the Premier League?

NL: “Celtic are not in a position that means they need to sell at the minute and I don't think they'd want to. 

“I think they'd be looking for a lot more than three times what they paid for him, which would be nine million quid, it could be double that.

“In the first half of the season he's been in incredible form and I’m sure he’ll want to carry on in the same vein for the rest of the season.

“His form can only be good for Celtic and in terms of selling him, the club will be warning off any potential suitors and so will Brendan Rodgers.

“Celtic have shown the opportunity they can give players, including playing and winning in the Champions League.

“They have seven points at the moment and will look to get to 10 or 13 and stay in that middle bracket for a play-off position, the club is in a very healthy position and are playing some of the best football we’ve seen in a long time.”

Q: What do you make of Greg Taylor’s contract situation at Celtic?

NL: “Greg Taylor has been such a consistent performer for Celtic domestically and in Europe when you consider the money that they paid for him.

“He is a really good footballer and really good defender. I think he's surprised a lot of people. He's just improved and improved year in, year out. 

“I understand why Brendan wants him to stay because left backs are hard to find and he's a really consistent performer.”

Q: Would he thrive in the Premier League?

NL: “I would be loathed to see him leave Celtic and he looks really happy there, but Greg Taylor could play in the Premier League, I’m pretty sure of it.

“Look at the likes of Ryan Christie, Odsonne Edouard and Kristoffer Ajer who have gone down there and made an impact, which Matt O’Riley will continue doing after his impact against Manchester City.

“Taylor would have no issues playing at Premier League level.”

Q: Can Brendan Rodgers be considered one of the greatest Celtic managers of all time?

A Legend at leicester but what about Celtic?

NL: “Brendan Rodgers can be considered as one of Celtic’s greatest ever managers, what he did the first time around was incredible and it wasn’t easy coming back into the role and following on from Ange Postecoglou.

“It took some time to adjust but Brendan knows the way he wants to play, which was the same with Postecoglou, and then they finished the season in real style.

“Now he’s had the summer to get even better and you can see the results and the performances coming now.

“I think his intention was to impress in the Champions League and that is what they’re doing at the moment. They spent well and made a profit in the window which is incredible really.

“Brendan is an elite manager and the team is so consistent, he will be hell bent on keeping that going over the next few months.

“He is up there with Celtic’s best ever managers, but has a long way to go in order to catch Jock Stein’s team who won nine in a row and the European Cup in 1967.

“You have to say that Rodgers is following in his Brendan.”

Q: What damage will the Celtic leaks be doing inside the club?

NL: “It’s something I faced the club as well as Brendan Rodgers in his first spell, it’s really disappointing. 

“You do all your preparation and you name the team the day before the game and then somebody's leaking it. 

“That can give the opposition in the upper hand or some sort of advantage, you have to go a long way to get an advantage over Celtic at the minute but that still hurts.

“Knowing that somebody within the building or within the club is wanting to leak the team for whatever reason, whether that be financial or not, it’s very disappointing.

“When you're working hard behind the scenes you want some privacy especially at a big club like Celtic, it causes mistrust and paranoia sometimes.

“You’d subconsciously be looking at innocent people and not knowing if it’s them and it creates a bit of an uncomfortable atmosphere which is totally unnecessary. 

“Especially when the team is going so well at the minute and there's a connection at the minute between the supporters and the team that everyone's enjoying, it’s disappointing.”

Q: What has changed for Celtic in the Champions League?

NL: “Celtic have improved massively in Europe. They had a heavy defeat in Dortmund and they bounced back brilliantly from that with a great point in Atalanta who are another top team. 

“I think that's given them a huge shot in the arm. I thought their performance against RB Leipzig was fantastic. It was like the old days again and the place was bouncing.

“The performance of the team, particularly in the second half, was top class. I think that gives the players and the manager a huge amount of confidence going into their remaining games. 

“I think the new format is good, I think it's fresh, I think it gives everyone a new sort of perspective on the Champions League. You're just taking one game at a time and trying to make the best of it. 

“For clubs like Celtic and other clubs maybe, unfavoured clubs, it gives them an opportunity to do something that they hadn't done before and I think that's a huge positive of bringing in the new format, it gives other clubs more of a chance of progressing further in the tournament.”

Q: How big will it be for Celtic to match Rangers’ 55 titles?

NL: “Celtic winning their 55th title will be massive for the supporters. They can turn that tap off after hearing it from Rangers fans for a considerable time.

“Since the turn of the millennium, Celtic have won 18 titles from 24 seasons and they are the juggernaut in Scotland now.

“The fans will love it and they’re coming out in their thousands every week. Fans argue over who is the biggest club, but Celtic also have 1967 in their corner, it’ll take quite something for Rangers to match that.”

Q: Will Steven Gerrard one day return to Rangers?

Could Gerrard return to Celtic?

NL: “Steven Gerrard back to Rangers? Never say never. Gerrard is still well thought of by Rangers fans and although he’s trying to make his way in Saudi at the moment I think you can never rule it out.

“I ended up going back to Celtic and it was fantastic for me, he might want to do the same at Rangers.”

Q: Would Jose Mourinho be welcomed into Scottish football?

Jose Mourinho - Oleksandr Osipov//shutterstock

NL: “Jose Mourinho would be welcomed with open arms to Scottish football, even if Celtic fans might not have forgiven him for the 2003 Uefa Cup final.

“Mourinho is box office TV and he’s a tremendous manager, one of the best managers of all time, he would put bums on seats and the Scottish media would absolutely love it.

“He’s been in great form since moving to Fenerbahce and the interest in him is as strong as ever, he’d be welcome in Scotland and it would certainly create a lot more interest.”

Q: Who could you see replacing Pep Guardiola at Manchester City?

Pep Guardiola

NL: “It’s one hell of a question. Who would want to follow Pep? The fact that it’s the first time in his coaching career that he’s lost four games in a row shows how high he has set the bar over the past 15 years.

“It’s incredible, I’m sure Manchester City will have people in mind to replace him if he decides to leave at the end of the season but I’m not sure he will.

“To pick a replacement out is very difficult. City will have done their due diligence. Simone Inzaghi has done remarkably well with Inter Milan so he could be high up on the list.

“Is there anyone in the Premier League who can follow on from Pep? I’m not too sure.”

Q: Should Virgil van Dijk stay at Liverpool or find a new challenge?

NL: “I’d like to see Virgil van Dijk stay at Liverpool, they suit each other as a player and a club, but he is a top top player and could go and play anywhere.

“I often thought of him being at Barcelona or Real Madrid, he’s that good and I don’t think the ship has sailed on those two by any means.

“But at the moment he is the perfect fit at Liverpool and you can’t see him playing anywhere else at the moment, I would be amazed if they don’t give him what he wants over the next six months.”

Q: How important is it that Wigan show faith in Shaun Maloney?

NL: “I’m a big fan of Shaun Maloney, he’s a very good coach and is very intelligent as a manager, like he was as a player.

“I’m a big fan of his and all managers go through dips, I think he is strong enough and mature enough and clever enough to come out of it.

“He had three or four years working under Roberto Martinez with Belgium after playing under him, as he did under great managers like Martin O'Neill and Gordon Strachan as well.

“He's got a wealth of knowledge on the game so I think Sean will be absolutely fine.”

Q: Do Liverpool already have a ready-made replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold in Conor Bradley?

NL: “Liverpool already have a ready-made replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold in Conor Bradley. He's a class player, Conor, even when he came on on Saturday night against Aston Villa when Trent went off, it was seamless.

“He was outstanding last year when he came into the team and he'll be champing at the bit to get a run on the team. Albeit I'm sure most Liverpool fans wouldn't want Trent to go, but if he was to go, I mean nothing lasts forever and a club like Liverpool always have three or four options in each position.

“I would like Conor to get a real good run at it because he's a super talented player and his performances for Northern Ireland have been brilliant as well.

“Being Northern Ireland captain, it shows what people think of him, shows what Michael O’Neill thinks of him, it shows what the rest of the Northern Ireland squad think of him. 

“For someone so young he carries himself that well, he's already the captain of his country at such a tender age. So speaks volumes for him as a personality as well.”

Q: What are your current managerial plans?

Neil Lennon - PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

NL: “I'd like to get back in so I'm just waiting on the next opportunity. It may be my last though, I've done it for about 15 years now. I'd like to maybe do a coaching role for another three four years and then you'll take stock of things. 

“I'm actively looking at the minute. There have been opportunities already since I came back from Bucharest, but nothing that's really caught my eye.

“Having said that, I'm really enjoying the media work and I'm really grateful for that, but the coaching is in you. I've been doing that for a long time and I'm only 53 so I'm still quite young. 

“I would like another three or four years if I could at a decent level. But it's such a competitive market. There's so many good coaches out there and so many agents out there vying for positions. If an opportunity comes along that I like, then I would like to go back in again.

“Ideally I’d like to stay in the UK, I’ve got family here and I've got my family in Ireland. We suffered a loss this year, a big loss in the family. So I wouldn't want to go too far, but you just never know where football will take you. 

“I've really enjoyed my time abroad and it does make you a better coach when you're coming up against different styles of football as well as different mentalities and different cultures.

“I had a great time in Scotland with Celtic and Hibs so ideally I would like to stay in the UK, but you know if that's not the case then I'd be happy to go abroad again.”

Q: Blind rank these five Celtic midfielders?

Paul Lambert: “Two.”

Lubo Moravcik: “Three.”

Callum McGregor: “Four.”

Shunsuke Nakamura: “Five.”

Neil Lennon: "(One) I'll take that all day long!”

Q: Celtic legends winner stays on?

Bobby Petta or Didier Agathe?

“Didier Agathe.”

Didier Agathe or Bobo Balde?

“Bobo Balde.”

Bobo Balde or Chris Sutton?

“Chris Sutton.”

Chris Sutton or Lubo Moravcik?

“That's such a hard one. That is such a hard one because they're both loved by Celtic fans. My god, that's so hard… Chris Sutton.

Chris Sutton or Stan Petrov?

“Chris Sutton.”

Chris Sutton or Dion Dublin?

“Chris Sutton.”

Chris Sutton or John Hartson?

“Chris Sutton, by a nose.”

Chris Sutton or Shunsuke Nakamura?

“Chris Sutton.”

Chris Sutton or Roy Keane?

“Chris Sutton.”

Chris Sutton or Henrik Larsson?

“Henrik Larsson.”

Q: Neil Lennon’s five-a-side team of Celtic team-mates

NL: “Artur Boruc; Johan Mjallby; Paul Lambert, Lubo Moravcik; Henrik Larsson

“Henrik Larsson and Moravcik would have a field day, Johan would tidy things up at the back with Paul Lambert keeping things ticking over.

“Boruc would be so hard to beat, what a shot stopper he was. Amazing and one hell of a character."