Paddy Kenny has told Football Insider that Celtic should look into signing Jack Wilshere from Bournemouth if Eddie Howe is appointed as the Scottish club's new manager as expected. 

Howe has long been linked with the vacancy at Celtic Park which was freed up by the departure of Neil Lennon and has been out of work since the end of last season after leaving Bournemouth following their relegation from the Premier League.

Wilshere is a player that was signed by the Cherries on a free transfer back in January and is currently on a contract with the South Coast club until June of this year.

Now, Kenny has claimed that Celtic should make a move for the former Arsenal and West Ham United man if and when Howe is given the job north of the border:

“I think he could be tempted. 

“He’s got connections with Howe, so why not? He’s on a free after all. It would be a good signing for everyone, I think.

“It does depend whether Wilshere would want to move up to Scotland because it’s not like an hour’s drive away.

“It’s a massive club, Celtic. They need to turn things around next season because they’ve had a disappointing year.

“But listen, players like that aren’t out of contract often. If Eddie Howe does get the job, I think this is something they could definitely look at. It would be a great deal.

“He’s had a history of injuries so it would be nice for him to win some trophies.”

This isn't Wilshere's first spell with the Cherries either, with the player having previously spent time on loan at the Vitality Stadium under Howe back in the 2016/17 campaign during his latter years at Arsenal.

The 29-year-old has only started 11 games for the Championship club this season and was an unused substitute in their play-off defeat to Brentford yesterday.

The Verdict 

Wilshere is nowhere near being a regular under Jonathan Woodgate at Bournemouth and as a result of this, he could well be interested in linking up with Howe again if the former Cherries boss gets the top job at Celtic.

His career has been largely scuppered by injuries and he has gone from being one of the brightest young talents in the English game to being a squad player in the second tier.

A move to Celtic could well be the kick he needs in order to make the final few years of his career a success.

If he starts regularly next term, we could well see the Jack Wilshere of old that people once compared to the likes of Xavi and Andres Iniesta.