Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon latest odds-on favourite for Leyton Orient job
Neil Lennon could be edging closer to a return to management, a year after leaving his post at Celtic.
Since he departed Parkhead in February 2021, Lennon has been linked with a cluster of clubs both in Scotland and the Football League.
In the last few months alone Lennon featured as the favourite for the Sunderland and Ipswich jobs in League One, and was hotly linked with a return to Hibernian. However, none of them came to fruition.
Now Lennon has been installed as the new bookies’ favourite for another vacancy, this time down in League Two at struggling Leyton Orient who recently sacked Kenny Jackett and are without a win in 13 games.
Lennon, now priced at just 4/6 with BetVictor, has replaced the previous frontrunner, former Bournemouth and Middlesbrough boss Jonathan Woodgate, who has drifted out to 4/1 alongside Boreham Wood’s Luke Garrard.
Former Posh manager Darren Ferguson is also on the slide in the market at 12/1, with Lee Johnson and Richie Wellens both 20/1 shots.
Lennon is famed for his two spells in charge of Celtic where he won five league titles, four Scottish Cups, and the League Cup.
He left Parkhead under a cloud last year following fan protests and a woeful run of form which left the Hoops 18 points adrift of Rangers who would go on to lift the title under Steven Gerrard.
Lennon also guided Hibernian to the Scottish Championship title then a top-four top-flight finish, but while he boasts an impressive resume in Scottish football, south of the border he endured a tough 18 months in the Championship at Bolton who were plagued by financial constraints - he lost 35 of his 79 games.
With a total of 539 games across four spells under his belt, his win rate is 58.07%.
Lennon, 50, recently revealed that he’s keen to throw himself back into management, telling FourFourTwo:
“Well, I’m certainly not ready for retirement. The hunger remains, the fire in my belly is still there and I’m in love with the game as much as I’ve ever been. I’d love another crack at management – and even if I say so myself, I don’t think my CV’s too bad…”
But, it's worth noting that he’s been the bookies’ favourite for multiple posts recently and nothing has come of it, so we’ll have to wait and see if that return is at a club desperately fighting for their League Two status.
For the moment at least, it’s interim boss Matt Harrold who is overseeing the first team. He lost his first game at home to Carlisle but on Tuesday managed to snatch a late point away to Colchester. The O’s are next in action at home to Stevenage on Saturday - odds below.
