I need to win league to keep my job, says Celtic’s Lennon

NEIL LENNON admits he could lose his job if Celtic fail to win the Clydesdale Bank Premier League this season.

The Irishman’s first full campaign in charge of the Parkhead club saw him secure the Scottish Cup but lose out in the SPL title race to Old Firm rivals Rangers by one point.

Celtic also lost the Co-operative Insurance Cup final to the Light Blues but Lennon was rewarded by the Parkhead board earlier this week for the progress he made with a new 12-month rolling contract.

However, the former Hoops skipper knows that allowing Rangers to make it four in a row could signal the end of his time in the east end of Glasgow.

“Three years without the title is a long time for us,” the Irishman, back in Glasgow after a short vacation in Cork, said.

“I think it is imperative we win it.

“We want to make inroads in Europe this season as well. We feel as if we have good natural talent and a good young team, and with a bit more experience in there, we feel we can have a go at that as well.

“I don’t think (there will be more pressure). The pressure of the job is always the same: win the league.

“If you can win a double or treble, brilliant but to win the league is a must, really.”

Lennon revealed that assistant Johan Mjallby and first-team coach Alan Thompson are still talking to the club about new deals.

“They are in talks at the minute and hopefully that will be resolved by the end of the week or early next week,” said Lennon.

“It is important for continuity and it is important for me to have people that I brought in, people that I trust and people whose opinion I value, to carry on at the club next to me.”

Lennon is also working hard to get his squad settled for next season.

The former Leicester midfielder is looking to give new deals to skipper Scott Brown and midfielder Beram Kayal and has made a bid for Newcastle keeper Fraser Forster, who was on loan at Parkhead last season.

“We will be in talks with both of them,” said Lennon, who will fly out to Australia on Monday with his squad for a pre-season tour.

“We met Beram’s representatives three or four weeks ago and we will sit down and discuss a new deal with him, probably when we come back from Australia.

“We might not have time to do that before we go away, and it will be the same with Scott.”

He added: “We have made a bid for Fraser Forster.

“Newcastle have said that he is not for sale at the moment but we will pursue that avenue further if we can.

“I said that we needed a goalkeeper and we would like to bring in a centre forward as well. But there won’t be wholesale changes. We only need to bring in one or two.”

Lennon has also added 19-year-old Kenyan midfielder Victor Wanyama, of Belgian side, Germinal Beerschot, to his list of targets.

“He is a good young player,” he said. “If the club can get the opportunity to speak to him, then we welcome that.”