Former Wigan Athletic, Aston Villa, Hull City and Scotland secures return role with Celtic
Former Wigan Athletic boss Shaun Maloney has secured a sensational return to football with his first club Celtic.
The 42-year-old has been out of the game since parting company with Latics at the beginning of March.
He was one of the frontrunners for the managerial vacancy at Dundee, which was recently filled by his ex-Scotland international colleague Steven Pressley.
But Maloney has landed an even bigger opportunity with a role at Celtic Park which will see him beginning on the sporting director pathway.
Initially, Maloney will be charged with handling first-team loans, following the departure of professional player pathway manager Darren O’Dea, who has moved to Swansea City as assistant manager to Alan Sheehan.
He'll also be heavily involved in first-team recruitment, while dipping into other departments, under the watchful eye of head of football operations Paul Tidsdale, the former Exeter City manager.
“It is a huge honour to be given this opportunity to return to Celtic, in a role which I am really passionate about,” said Maloney.
“My aim will be to work really closely between our Academy and the first team and create the very best opportunities for success, which will ultimately be represented by more and more players reaching our first-team environment.
“I have been fortunate enough to follow this same pathway and I am now excited about ensuring many more young players can take this same journey.”
Tisdale added: “I am delighted that we have been able to bring Shaun back to the club in this role.
“Shaun will be tasked with developing the internal and external processes necessary to ensure we optimise the talents of our young players.
“Through his experience and knowledge, we believe Shaun will add significant value to the role”.
Welcoming Maloney back to Celtic, manager, Brendan Rodgers said: “I am really pleased to welcome Shaun to this post. He is someone I believe will make a great contribution to the club in this area.
“He is an intelligent guy who knows what it takes to be a successful Celtic player and I think his experience will be invaluable in this role. He has all the credentials to be really successful in positively developing our younger players.”
Maloney came through the ranks at Celtic, and established himself as one of the best players in Scotland - winning eight major honours - before joining Aston Villa in January 2007.
However, he was unable to settle south of the border and he jumped at the chance to return to Celtic 18 months later.
Further success followed before he was persuaded to join Latics in the summer of 2011 by Roberto Martinez, who had already brought in Gary Caldwell, James McCarthy and James McArthur from the SPL.
Maloney played a key role in helping Latics retain their Premier League status in his first season, and sent over the corner from which Ben Watson headed home the winning goal in the 2013 FA Cup final.
He moved on to Chicago Fire in January 2015 and then Hull City, before starting his coaching career with Celtic Under-20s in 2017, before joining Martinez’s coaching staff with the Belgium national team.
Maloney had a brief stint as Hibernian boss in 2021/22, before returning to Wigan as manager in January 2023.