Lennon after the Commons' touch at Bolton

Neil Lennon wants to raid his old club for Kris Commons

Bolton boss Neil Lennon has indicated his desire to plunder former club Celtic for the services of midfielder Kris Commons.

The Mansfield-born Scotland international is out of contract at the Scottish club in the summer and has so far failed to sign an extension.

That has led to speculation he will leave Celtic Park during the current window and he could link up with the man under whose guidance his career flourished in Glasgow.

Can Commons help Bolton continue their march up the Championship table under the Northern Irishman?

Lennon was always likely to cast his eye towards Celtic when the transfer window opened. He brought great success to many of the players still at the Glasgow club and moreover, he has always appeared to be a man-manager in the mould of his mentor, Martin O'Neill.

Like O'Neill, Lennon builds trust in his players and once there is a two-way relationship in place, positive results tend to follow.

Commons joined Lennon's Celtic in January 2011 after two-and-a-half seasons at Derby County. Lennon therefore has no worries about Commons' ability to adapt to life in the Championship.

It is hard to envisage that either player or manager could have predicted just how successful the move to Celtic would turn out to be.

When Commons arrived, Rangers were still in the top tier. The midfielder scored on his debut against Aberdeen and followed up a week later by marking his Old Firm debut with a goal at Ibrox.

The medals have built up for Commons north of the border, with three Scottish Premiership titles and a couple of Scottish Cup wins now on his CV.

His playing role has also changed. Commons became the focal point of the Celtic attack under Lennon, wreaking havoc in a roving free role.

In Lennon's final season at the club, Commons proved the answer to a striking crisis as he scored 31 goals in a more advanced position.

That was enough to see him named Scottish PFA and Football Writers Player of the Year last May.

He looked set to become the keystone of new boss Ronny Deila's Hoops team but things have not quite worked out that way.

The Norwegian has overlooked Commons for big games, including the vital Champions League qualifier defeats last summer.

The 31-year-old has found himself in and out of the Celtic team this season and that could be a contributing factor in his failure to sign the one-year contract extension tabled by Celtic.

Lennon has clearly kept tabs on the player and admitted he would love to bring him to Macron Stadium, although he conceded it may not be as simple in theory.

"I think there is other interest in Kris. It wouldn't surprise me because of the quality of player that he is, but I know Celtic will do all they can to keep him there as well," he said.

Bolton have staged something of a dramatic recover under Lennon's watch.

Rock bottom when he arrived in October with only one league victory under their belts, the Trotters have lost only three of 15 games since.

They have moved clear of the relegation zone and into 14th spot.

Lennon may even have his sights trained on matching the success of Roy Keane at Sunderland and leading a team from despair to promotion.

Bolton are eleven points out of the playoff places but there are still 20 games left to play.

Experienced duo Eidur Gudjohnsen and Emile Heskey joined the club in December and now Lennon is seeking to add to his attacking options by bringing in a player he is so familiar with.

Extra quality and match-winning ability is what Lennon is tailoring his transfer actions around so far.

In Commons he would secure a player that had developed into a consistent performer in Scotland and could help Bolton continue an unlikely push towards that all-important sixth place.