da pinnacle： When Celtic return to action on 22 November for a rare Saturday night extravaganza against St Mirren, who will be sat in the away dugout in Paisley?
da betcris： Well, interim manager Martin O’Neill has done a pretty good job since being parachuted in following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation, winning both Premiership matches 4-0, with goals from Johnny Kenny, Kieran Tierney, Daizen Maeda and Arne Engels downing Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Now, as we head into an international break, the Celtic board are surely intensifying their search for a permanent head coach, with last Thursday’s 3-1 Europa League hammering at the hands of Midtjylland perhaps underlining O’Neill’s shortcomings.
So, which of the leading candidates for the Parkhead hot seat should they prioritise appointing?
What Wilfried Nancy would bring to Celtic
In recent days, the surprise, left-field candidate who has emerged for the Celtic job is Wilfried Nancy.
The 48-year-old’s entire coaching career, to date, has come in North America, his first managerial role coming in 2021, succeeding Thierry Henry as CF Montréal head coach.
With the Impact, who are one of the lowest spending teams in Major League Soccer, Nancy miraculously led them to second in the Eastern Conference in 2022, thereby third in the overall standings, having also won the Canadian Championship the year before.
Manager Focus
However, he has seriously made a name for himself since joining Columbus Crew.
Since swapping Québec for Ohio, Nancy has enjoyed huge success in charge of the Black and Gold, winning MLS Cup in his first season and then Leagues Cup in 2024, also leading the Crew to their first-ever CONCACAF Champions Cup Final, ousting two Mexican juggernauts en route, ultimately beaten 3-0 by Pachuca in the final.
At the weekend, Columbus’ 2025 campaign came to an end, dumped out of the MLS play-offs by Hell is Real rivals FC Cincinnati, which may mean Nancy is more available now than he would have been a week ago.
This though should not denigrate what Nancy has achieved in Columbus.
Joe Lowery believes he is the most talented coach in MLS history, describing the Crew’s “patient possession” play as “so much fun to watch”, but does this mean the Frenchman would succeed in Glasgow?
Well, the step from Major League Soccer to top-level European football is massive.
Other coaches such as Gerhard Struber, Jaap Stam, Raphaël Wicky, Bob Bradley and Patrick Vieira, who have made the jump, have often struggled to make their mark at the top level, meaning it is impossible to tell if the 2024 coach of the year would fare any better.
So, who knows, appointing Nancy would certainly be a massive risk, so is there another manager already operating at the top level in Europe the Celts should chase first?
Who should be Celtic's first choice to replace Martin O'Neill
Given the current economic climate in European football, it is increasingly difficult for clubs outside Europe’s big five leagues to compete, a reality Celtic supporters experience every season, despite the fact their side have won 13 of the last 14 Premiership titles.
Well, a club who have continued to punch above their weight are Bodø/Glimt, hence why, as reported by Sky Sports, Celtic’s managerial shortlist features Kjetil Knutsen, with the report outlining that he still remains among their lengthy list of targets.
The 57-year-old has been in charge of the Yellow Horde since 2018, when they were still a second-tier outfit, but has transformed them into Norway’s dominant force.
Bodø/Glimt, who had never won the league before, have picked up four of the last five Eliteserien titles, including setting the league’s single-season points record of 81.
With two matches remaining of this campaign, which concludes on 30 November, they are second, one point below Viking, who are seeking their first title since 1991, but the race will go down to the wire.
This domestic domination has given Bødo/Glimt a platform on which to shine in Europe, which is where their most eye-catching results have come.
2021/22
Conference League
Quarter-finals
2022/23
Europa League
Group stages
2023/24
Conference League
Knockout stages
2024/25
Europa League
Semi-finals
2025/26
Champions League
League phase
As the table documents, Bodø/Glimt have been European regulars over the last five seasons, most notably reaching the Conference League quarter-finals and last season’s Europa League semi-finals, before qualifying for the Champions League proper for the first time ever earlier this year, smashing Sturm Graz in the play-off round.
These are performances Celtic can only dream of, considering the Hoops have not won a European knockout tie since 2004, one of their numerous defeats coming at the hands of Bodø/Glimt in February 2022, Knutsen’s team demolishing Postecoglou’s side 5-1 on aggregate.
The Norwegian champions have also enjoyed noteworthy victories over Roma, Beşiktaş, Crvena zvezda, Porto, Olympiacos and Lazio, while they have lost only seven of their last 38 European home matches, winning 29 of them, making Aspmyra the fortress that Celtic Park yearns to become once more.
Looking at Knutsen specifically, across his 351 matches in charge, he has always deployed an attacking 4-3-3, with width provided by adventurous full-backs, allowing wingers, including current star Jens Petter Hauge, to drift inside and score goals.
Former Norway international Jan Åge Fjørtoft praised Knutsen’s “clear philosophy” and “attractive” style of play, forecasting that he is destined to land one of the biggest jobs in European football.
So, as Celtic aspire to be as competitive on the continent as Bodø/Glimt have become, Knutsen would be a statement appointment, surely one an entire divided fan base could get behind.
Nancy has his own credentials, but it is Knutsen who might just be the ideal pick.
117 touches, 96% passing: Celtic star just had his best game all season
Celtic demolished Kilmarnock 4-0 in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday, and one of Martin O’Neill’s players enjoyed their best game of the season.