da betano casino： Celtic have roughly two weeks to decide what they want to do with the manager position at the club before they are back in Scottish Premiership action after the international break.
da realbet： Martin O’Neill is currently in place as the interim manager of the Scottish giants and has won both of his league matches in charge of the club, including a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock on Sunday.
The experienced head coach did, however, lose 3-1 to FC Midtjylland in the Europa League and needed extra time to secure a 3-1 win over Rangers, who went down to ten men in the first half, in the semi-final of the League Cup.
It, therefore, remains to be seen whether or not it would be the right call to give O’Neill more time after the international break to take charge of the team, until a permanent successor to Brendan Rodgers can be found.
The Northern Irish boss won the Premiership title in his two full seasons back at the club, but the Hoops are currently seven points adrift of Hearts in the league table, and need someone to turn it around.
One manager who has been touted with a potential move to Glasgow to save the club’s season is Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen, who is among the contenders for the job.
The latest on Kjetil Knutsen to Celtic
TEAMtalk have reported that the Hoops are preparing to make an approach to appoint the Norwegian head coach to be their long-term successor to Rodgers at Parkhead.
The outlet claimed that Knutsen is keen to take the next step in his career and that the prospect of European football and a decent budget in Glasgow matches his ambitions for his next job.
Journalist Graeme Bailey, though, recently claimed that Knutsen wants to finish the Champions League campaign with Bodo/Glimt, which could see their season run until the end of January.
This means that O’Neill would have to stay in place for another couple of months, at least, as the interim manager, which would also mean that he would be in charge for the rest of the league phase of the Europa League.
Celtic, therefore, have to weigh up whether or not landing Knutsen in the long-term is worth potentially not qualifying from the league phase of the Europa League, given that O’Neill lost his first European game fairly comprehensively.
2025
28
78
2024
30
71
2023
30
78
2022
30
86
2021
30
59
2020
30
103
2019
30
64
As you can see in the table above, Knutsen’s Bodo/Glimt side score plenty of goals and his style of play would be exciting for supporters to watch if it works in Scotland, which is one reason why the wait may be worth it.
He has also won the Eliteserien title in four of the last five full seasons, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he can win domestic titles on a consistent basis.
Celtic want to interview Championship manager
Knutsen is not the only manager in the club’s sights, though, and they are interested in a head coach who could come in as a dream alternative to the Norwegian.
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According to TEAMtalk, Celtic are also looking at Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna as a possible option to be their long-term successor to Rodgers.
The report claims that the Premiership champions want to interview the Northern Irish head coach, who is currently managing the Tractor Boys in the Championship.
It adds that he is the ‘domestic dream’ for the Hoops, whilst Knutsen is said to be their preferred foreign candidate, which suggests that McKenna and Knutsen are the two favourites for the job.
TEAMtalk also reveals that it would cost at least £5m in compensation to snap the former Manchester United youth coach up, but it remains to be seen whether or not that would be a stumbling block for the club from a financial perspective.
Why McKenna would be a dream alternative to Knutsen for Celtic
McKenna, who was described as “incredible” by Ipswich winger Wes Burns, would be the dream alternative to Knutsen for several reasons, not least because this latest report names him as the club’s ‘dream’ domestic target.
Unlike the Norwegian, who wants to stay at Bodo/Glimt well into January, and possibly beyond, the Tractor Boys head coach does not have a Champions League campaign that would mean he is not available in the here and now.
This means that Celtic would be able to bring him to the club immediately, rather than having to wait two months, and he would be in the dugout for the league phase of the Europa League, the final of the League Cup, and plenty of crucial Premiership matches in the title race.
McKenna, who got Neil Lennon’s backing in the clip above, would be a better option than Knutsen in the short-term because of that, whilst he also has experience in British football.
As good as Knutsen has been with Bodo/Glimt, he has never managed outside of his home country and it would be a risk to expect him to hit the ground running when he has no prior experience in British football.
25/26 Championship (14)
23
TBC
24/25 Premier League (38)
22
19th
23/24 Championship (46)
96
2nd
22/23 Championship (46)
98
2nd
21/22 League One (23)
41
11th
McKenna, as you can see in the table above, has plenty of experience in England across the top three divisions, taking Ipswich from League One up to the Premier League with back-to-back promotions.
Whilst they were relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking, the Northern Irish boss has still progressed the Tractor Boys as a club, as they are currently fighting for promotion in the Championship, after he took them over as a midtable League One side in the 2021/22 campaign.
This shows that he can progress a club, whilst achieving success on the pitch, which is why he could be a good option for Celtic, despite having never won a league title in his career as a coach so far.
McKenna may not have the titles under his belt that Knutsen has, but the Ipswich boss has an impressive track record with Ipswich, knowledge of British football and markets, and would be available two months earlier, which is why he would be a dream alternative.
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