Celtic have lost set-piece coach Gavin Strachan to West Brom, a significant blow to their backroom staff.

What happened?

Gavin Strachan, son of former Celtic and Scotland manager Gordon Strachan, joined the club in June 2020 under Neil Lennon. He was retained by Ange Postecoglou in 2021 and again carried over when Brendan Rodgers returned for his second spell. His specialism was set-pieces and opposition analysis, and internally he was regarded as the club’s lead set-piece coach.

Why it matters for Celtic

The news lands at a time of genuine uncertainty around the coaching structure at Celtic Park, with Martin O’Neill still bedding in after his appointment as manager. Celtic are still working through coaching staff restructuring at the assistant manager level, with Efrain Juarez among those in discussions. The team is currently 3rd in Premiership, with 67 points from 33 games, and a recent form of WWWWW. | Stat | Value | | League standing | 3rd in Premiership | | Points | 67 | | Recent form | WWWWW |

What comes next?

Attention now turns firmly to who comes in to replace Strachan. A set-piece and analysis specialist needs to be identified and appointed before the squad reports back for pre-season work in Ireland and Portugal. The clock is not standing still, with Champions League qualifying on the horizon and a pre-season that includes a high-profile friendly against AC Milan at Celtic Park. Celtic's last result was a 3-1 win over Dunfermline on 2026-05-23, and they are on a 5-game winning run.