The wait goes on for Celtic fans.
Who will be Brendan Rodgers’ long-term successor? By all accounts, it seems as though it will be Wilfried Nancy, but as of Tuesday, it’s Martin O’Neill who is still in charge.
On Monday evening, Celtic updated their supporters by sharing that O’Neill will be in charge for the St Mirren match on Saturday evening, which opens the door for people to question if and when Nancy will come in.
The football world can be crazy sometimes. One minute, a manager target can be on the doorstep, and in next to no time, he’s out of the picture, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if some Celtic fans are all coy on the matter.
Either way, the ‘gamble’ of Celtic pushing for Nancy was discussed on Go Radio, and the comparison with Bodø/Glimt’s coach Kjetil Knutsen.
Celtic’s Wilfried Nancy ‘gamble’ and comparison with Kjetil Knutsen
Stephen McGinn wanted to highlight the ‘amazing story’ and journey Knutsen has been a part of since becoming Bodø/Glimt coach in 2018.
The former midfielder, who is a coach at Falkirk and a boyhood Celtic fan, stated that, amid the noise around Nancy, he feels Knutsen has done a job in Norway that will ‘never’ be replicated.
“It’s a gamble,” responded McGinn about Nancy.
“Knutsen from Bodø/Glimt would be a gamble. It’s an amazing story. Something that will never ever be replicated. Taking a team that small from this small country, and what he has done.
“Is there any guarantee that he would handle life at Celtic? So, I think they are all a gamble.”
Bodø/Glimt’s rise under Knutsen
Bodø/Glimt have managed to do something that Celtic couldn’t this season, and it’s one of the key reasons why Rodgers isn’t here, and that’s secure Champions League football.
This is the first time Bodø are playing in Europe’s elite competition, as it further emphasises the job Knutsen has done.
From beating managers such as Ange Postecoglou and Jose Mourinho, he has taken a side that has the population of Celtic Park to the heights of Europe’s elite.
- The club has a turnover of around £10m
- The town of Bodø has a population that isn’t far off Celtic Park’s capacity.
- Bodø/Glimt’s home ground is smaller than St Johnstone’s McDiarmid Park
- Bodø won their first-ever league title in 2020
- They have now won four Norwegian titles
- Knutsen has beaten managers such as Postecoglou, Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer
- Bodø were the first team from Norway to reach the last four of a European competition
- And now, it’s the first time they are in the Champions League
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