Why Celtic Will Wait to Land Highly Sought After Euro Coach

Celtic fans have been satisfied with how their side has fared since Martin O’Neill took the reins as interim manager.

The Hoops have won three from their four matches under the Irishman with 12 goals scored in that time period.

O’Neill has always been a winning Celtic boss as his stats from his first stint have shown, but he is now 73-years-old and his career in the dugout is winding down.

The Scottish Premiership reigning champions still need a full-time gaffer with O’Neill unlikely to take the gig full-time having taken over from Brendan Rodgers who resigned.

However it seems O’Neill and his co-boss Shaun Maloney are content to take the reins as long as they must for Celts to get the right man in the door to turn their fortunes.

It was claimed by former Celtic manager Gordon Strachan recently that he had been made aware that the club would wait until December to appoint the man they wanted.

Celtic want Kjetil Knutsen of Bodo/Glimt as new manager

That left it open to interpretation as to who would be the next Hoops head coach.

Craig Bellamy was mooted with Wales’ World Cup qualifying coming to an end near that time. But the hint seemed to point at another boss who will become available at the same period.

Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen is extremely highly rated and has been approached by the Celtic board in the past. Ajax have also wanted the 57-year-old who has, until now, been pleased to remain in Norway.

Now, however, it appears the coach is ready to make a move to another country and take on an exciting project and that could finally be Glasgow where league titles and Champions League football would be on offer.

We at FootballBlog crunched the numbers and did the math as we looked to learn exactly why Celtic would be smart to wait until December to appoint a fresh face with an intriguing pedigree.

Kjetil Knutsen’s Bodo/Glimt record

The Norwegian manager appeared to come from nowhere, to an extent, as a head coach with Bodo/Glimt but that only tells half the story.

He became the club’s manager back in 2018 having worked as assistant boss before that and he has single-handedly turned their fortunes around.

The season before he arrived, the club had been relegated but won promotion back again. And that was where and when did his best work.

He finished 11th in his first full campaign as manager before being tipped for the drop the following season having lost big players. However, Knutsen dragged the club up and into second as he won coach of the year in Eliteserien.

The following year he won coach of the year for the second time but that came because of his side’s incredible run of form where they won 26 of their 30 matches, scoring a staggering 103 goals.

They won the league title that year – for the first time in their history.

Again, the next season came and went with a trophy in the cabinet as Knutsen had won back to back titles as manager. They had once again sold top stars.

In total throughout all competitions both domestically and in Europe, Knutsen has managed Bodo/Glimt 361 times and won 209 of those fixtures.

His side have drawn 72 and lost 70 and he has watched them score 840 and concede 411.

In league football only he has a points per match ratio of 2.04 which rivals some Celtic bosses throughout their own career in Glasgow.

Knutsen’s style of play

Knutsen has made a career out of adapting a 4-3-3 formation with his squad.

According to detailed analysis from the Coaches’ Voice, the Norwegian enjoys a possession-based style where his side have rarely had less than 60 percent of the ball across his five years with the club.

They are also relatively similar to Celtic in terms of attacking efforts with Knutsen having to work out how to push throw opponents’ low blocks with most men behind the ball.

Bodo/Glimt under the manager also played most of their football with shorter passes as opposed to long balls and that still worked against the defensive foes.

His use of his full-backs and wide players also suits how Celtic have traditionally played with one number nine looking to take advantage of their deliveries.

Out of possession the Norwegian outfit like to press high, similar to Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side who were rampant during the Australian’s time in Scotland.

It is a system which demands hard work but this Celtic side should be no strangers.

Knutsen and Bodo/Glimt in Europe

Europa League football was on offer to Bodo/Glimt after their second spot in 2019 but they came up against heavy hitters AC Milan.

But the club got the taste for Euro competition and made it through to the Conference League the following season where they went all the way to the quarter-finals in their first attempt.

In the next season it was group stages of the Europa League they made before their biggest achievement which was to come.

In 2024/25 Bodo/Glimt and Knutsen went all the way to the semi-finals of the Europa League only to be beaten by eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur.

This season saw the club qualify for the Champions League league phase for the first time in their history.

What Knutsen has said about future amid Celtic links

Asked to directly comment on the Celtic link by media in his homeland, Knutsen was coy.

Although he did hint at an eventual exit without specifying the Scottish giants.

“Nothing is certain in life,” he said.

“I am here now and I am happy, and then we can enjoy a nice football match. It is hopeless to answer about other club.

“I answer as I always do – (if I leave) it should be something that is more exciting than Glimt.”