Former Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert has ruled himself out of the running for the vacancy at Celtic.
Neil Lennon resigned from his role as the club's manager on Wednesday after a dismal season for the Parkhead club.
Celtic find themselves 18 points behind Steven Gerrard's Rangers with their quest for a record tenth consecutive Scottish Premiership title in tatters.
Poor recruitment, shock defeats and the fallout from a winter trip to Dubai have made 2020-21 a campaign to forget for Celtic, with a resurgent Rangers back on form.
Celtic are searching for Lennon's replacement with Eddie Howe heavily linked with a move to Parkhead, while John Kennedy, Lennon's assistant who has taken over in the interim, is also being mentioned as a possible full-time successor.
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Scotland boss Steve Clarke has been touted as a potential option too while former Villa and Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is listed among the possible options with bookmaker SkyBet.
Lambert ruled himself out of the job in an interview with Sky Sports, reticent to ruin his legacy with the Bhoys.
"I played for eight years, but I left the Glasgow scene a long time ago," he said.
"That's not my life anymore. I don't want to tarnish the good feelings I have with the Celtic fans. We won a hell of a lot, stopping Rangers winning ten in a row in 1998. That was an incredible achievement.
"Maybe I'll go back as a fan, that's all I can say."
Lambert is currently with Ipswich Town but reports on Friday claimed that, with the Portman Road club on the verge of a takeover by businessmen based in the United States, he is set to be replaced by Paul Cook.
Lambert was Villa manager between 2012 and 2015, taking charge of 115 games in all competitions.