Danny Rohl's Rising Reputation Amid Bayer Leverkusen Interest
Rangers’ rising dugout star Danny Rohl has landed on Bayer Leverkusen’s radar – but the German champions appear to have eyes on a different prize.
Reports in Germany place Crystal Palace boss Oliver Glasner at the top of Leverkusen’s shortlist as they plan for life after Xabi Alonso, with Girona’s highly rated Michel also under consideration. Rohl, though, is firmly in the conversation, a measure of how sharply his stock has climbed.
Rohl’s reputation surges
The 37-year-old is not under threat at Rangers and, according to reports, is not expected to jump at Wolfsburg despite their Bundesliga relegation. That move would feel like a step into a rebuilding job with limited upside.
Union Berlin and Bayer Leverkusen are a different story. Both are seen as more attractive propositions as clubs across Europe track one of the game’s youngest and most intriguing coaches. Rohl’s work in Glasgow has not gone unnoticed; his name now lives in the same paragraphs as Glasner and Michel. That alone tells its own story.
McKenna shuts the door
South of the border, Kieran McKenna has made his stance clear. Fresh from hauling Ipswich Town into the Premier League, he intends to lead them into the top flight and will turn down any summer approach from Celtic, Crystal Palace or Fulham, according to reports.
For clubs searching for the next bright mind, that’s a significant door slammed shut. For Ipswich, it’s a powerful statement of intent as they prepare for their first Premier League campaign in over two decades.
Celtic at the centre of the market
While McKenna stays put, Celtic sit at the heart of a busy early market.
Huddersfield Town winger Cameron Ashia has drawn initial enquiries from Celtic, Fulham and Rangers, with a cluster of English and European sides – Burnley, Cardiff City, Hoffenheim, Ipswich Town, Sheffield United and Stuttgart – also registering interest. At 21, and potentially available for as little as £500,000 despite Huddersfield triggering a one-year extension, Ashia looks like a low-cost, high-upside gamble. For a club willing to move quickly, this is the kind of deal that can define a window.
Daizen Maeda, by contrast, is no punt. The Celtic forward has emerged as a target for several Premier League clubs as he edges towards a possible summer exit from Glasgow. His relentless work rate and versatility have long appealed to recruiters in England; now the timing may finally align for a move.
Lech Poznan have already made their play for another Celtic wide man. After a loan spell that clearly impressed, the Polish side have lodged a cut‑price £2m offer for Luis Palma. The fee reflects both Poznan’s intent and Celtic’s need to reshape their attacking options, with decisions looming over several forwards.
One of those decisions has effectively been made. Shin Yamada is heading back to Celtic following his loan at Preussen Munster, with head coach Alois Schwartz planning a major overhaul after the German club’s relegation to the third tier. Yamada returns to Glasgow at a crossroads, just as the squad around him begins to shift.
From Rohl’s continental suitors to McKenna’s defiance and Celtic’s juggling act in the market, the summer is already crackling with storylines. The next move belongs to the clubs brave enough to act first.
