Bournemouth's playoff defeat looks like paving the way for Eddie Howe to join Celtic.
The Championship side were looking to make an immediate return to the English Premier League following relegation last season, and went into this afternoon's semi-final second-leg playoff tie against Brentford leading 1-0.
They looked to be heading for Wembley after Arnaut Danjuma make it 2-0 aggregate after just five minutes, but Brentford rallied and ended up scoring three times to win 3-2 on aggregate.
As has been reported consistently for the last few weeks, Howe is thought to be Celtic's clear first-choice to replace Neil Lennon, but Bournemouth's continued involvement in the playoffs is thought to have been a sticking point, with the Englishman thought to be keen on bringing several members of the Cherries' backroom staff.
Given their season is now over - and they've been consigned to playing in the second-tier for at least one more season - the Daily Record are reporting that Howe is on the brink of joining the Hoops, with all roads leading to Parkhead.
It's set to be a summer of a transition for Celtic, with long-term skipper Scott Brown heading to Aberdeen and the likes of Odsonne Edouard, Kris Ajer and Ryan Christie set to be targets for other teams, and it'll be a quick turnaround for Howe and his coaching team with Champions League qualifiers coming hot on the heels of Euro 2020.
