Source: Daily_Mail
A firm refusal: Everton boss Moyes says he's too ambitious for Celtic
David Moyes slammed the door shut on any lingering hopes Celtic harboured of luring him back to Glasgow.
Sportsmail understands the Everton manager was the recipient of tentative feelers from third parties to establish whether he would be interested in returning to his first club as successor to Gordon Strachan.
Despite the disappointment of watching his side lose the FA Cup Final to Chelsea at Wembley on Saturday, however, the Glaswegian has rejected any notion of an emotional return to Parkhead.
Reports suggest Celtic drew up a list of 'unlikely' candidates followed by 'attainables' from which West Brom's Tony Mowbray is now increasingly likely to be plucked this week.
With a transfer budget and wages far in advance of what Celtic can hope to match, Moyes was always firmly in the former camp - and has pledged his future to the Goodison club despite being the overwhelming choice of the Celtic support for the job.
Asked directly if there had been interest from Parkhead, Moyes smiled and confirmed as much before adding: 'It did not interest me. I have never made any secret of being an ambitious manager, but I am making sure my chairman stays ambitious.
'I am Everton manager, and I am very loyal, so there is no reason to go down that route and start thinking of anything else. All I want to do is bring in one or two new faces for next season and fit in a holiday somewhere.
'It does hurt that I still can't get my hands on a trophy, but I do sense Everton can match my ambitions, and I am most definitely happy to carry on under the present circumstances. If my profile is rising, maybe the same will happen to the players and they will be happy to stay.
'There are only one or two clubs in this country who can say they are bigger than Everton. If some clubs have more money at their disposal, does that mean they are bigger? Not really.
It might give the manager more scope, but no one can argue about Everton's standing in the game. I'm at a great football club.'
Whoever comes in at Celtic will be asked to work with current first-team coach Neil Lennon after the Northern Irishman was granted assurances over his Parkhead future.
Also linked with the vacant post at Hibs, Gordon Strachan's former assistant took the current team in the Tommy Burns tribute game yesterday, with an entertaining 11-4 victory for the existing squad.
Afterwards, he admitted his position has caused him some anxiety, but plans to stay at Celtic until the right opportunity to be his own man comes up.
'It's always a worry when a manager leaves,' said Lennon. 'You don't know what the new manager is going to think.
'At the minute, the position is that I will be here to assist the new guy in any way that I can. Peter Lawwell asked me for a few recommendations - but I won't tell you the names I said.'
Lennon's details were suggested to the Parkhead board as a potential ' manager, but he admits it was always a long shot and that he is far from ready. 'It's a huge job. I haven't got the experience, I still have a lot to learn and I'm not in any great rush.
'Peter has spoken to me at length and they have said what my role will be next year.'
Lennon will still give serious consideration to any opportunities which come his way to be his own man, however, and added: 'I'm sort of at a crossroad about my future. I'm flattered that Celtic want me to stay but there is a part of me that wants to go and do my own thing. But I am quite happy to stay on for another year.
'I started my pro-licence this month and that takes about a year. I don't think there is a need to rush, you can't make knee-jerk decisions and regret them six months later. I am still developing myself as a coach.
'My long-term ambition is to manage Celtic but I don't see that in the near future. 'The next manager needs to have a strong personality, a wee bit of charisma and any manager of the Old Firm needs a hide as thick as a rhino.'
Shunsuke Nakamura, meanwhile, looks set to delay his return to Japan further after receiving an offer from Catalan club Espanyol. Celtic have also made the midfielder an offer to stay on, despite the attractions of Yokohama Marinos, his first club.
The chance to realise a dream by playing in La Liga may prove irresistible, however, after Nakamura's agent Roberto Takuda confirmed to Japanese media: 'It's true that Espanyol have approached us.'
