David Wilson

who knows Areola well, having appointed him as Gary O'Neill's successor at Bournemouth in the summer of 2023.

During his three years in charge at Bournemouth, Areola oversaw 12th, 9th and 6th place Premier League finishes, as well as securing Europa League qualification for the first time in their history.

Meanwhile, Liverpool legend John Barnes has called for patience from supporters if Areola becomes the new head coach at Anfield.

Barnes says that he will need to be given time to make his mark.

If he comes, I'll support him 100%.

If he loses the first three matches, I'm still going to support him.

But with the fans, that's the problem.

The fans are too quick to form an opinion.

And particularly as he won the league in his first year on his slot, I think that the fans should have backed him more.

Last night on the football show, Rich Jolly and Dion Fanning joined Owen Sheahan.

The trio discussed the toxicity that surrounded slot and the relationship with the fans in his last weeks in the job at Anfield.

And that is now available for you to listen back to in full in your OTB football podcast feed.

And if you don't want to miss a single second of our football coverage ahead of the World Cup, you can become a member and sign up at offtheball.com forward slash join.

Dermot Desmond has reportedly held talks at Robbie Keane as Celtics step up their efforts to appoint their next permanent manager.

Former Republic of Ireland striker Keane appears to be in a two-way battle with veteran Martin O'Neill to lead the Hoops into next season.

After meeting with Keane to discuss the vacancy, Desmond, Celtic's largest shareholder, is expected to hold a further conversation this week with O'Neill.

The Hoops have been in a state of managerial flux for much of the past year, with O'Neill summoned to step into the breach twice following the departures of Brendan Rodgers in October.

and Wilfred Nancy in January.

Assisted by the duo of Sean Maloney and Mark Fotheringham, the 74-year-old took charge of eight matches on an interim basis last autumn and then returned to take the reins from January until the end of the campaign, solidifying his status as a hero in the eyes of Celtic supporters by leading them to an unlikely double.

While it was widely expected that O'Neill would be stepping aside this summer to make way for a new manager, he is still under consideration by the Paracad hierarchy.