Celtic have now been dealt one more irritating blow to their seek for a brand new supervisor, having been instructed how lengthy they should wait earlier than appointing Ketil Knudsen.
The Boys are in no hurry. After the shock departure of Brendan Rodgers, they knew they could not afford to make a mistake with their subsequent appointment and handed Martin O’Neill his place on an interim foundation to purchase time.
To the 73-year-old’s credit score, he is rolled again his years within the dugout thus far. Aside from the defeat to Midtjylland within the Champions League, wins in opposition to long-established rivals Rangers and Falkirk characterize a step in the appropriate course.
However even after these three video games, O’Neal continues to distance himself from full-time employment. He instructed reporters in midweek that he supposed to stay at Celtic till they not wanted him, earlier than revealing he could be “completely nice” with Sunday’s sport in opposition to Kilmarnock being his final.
“To be sincere, I am not frightened about legacy in any respect, I’ve by no means been. Should you’re speaking about legacy, you may speak slightly bit about Jock Stein and that nice 1967 crew.
“I actually don’t be concerned about that one bit, it is by no means occurred to me. If I am lifeless, I am lifeless. On a very severe be aware, if Sunday is my final sport, that is completely nice with me.”
Sadly, as Celtic’s seek for their subsequent supervisor continues, rumors persist that they may flip to O’Neill, at the least till the tip of the season. It is easy to see why. The Northern Irishman is skilled and could be a protected choice till an appropriate candidate emerges.
The choice to maintain the interim boss in place till at the least subsequent 12 months will enable Parkhead chiefs to play the lengthy sport and maybe safe a high candidate for the job in the long run.
Celtic Hand Contemporary Knudsen Drawback
As instructed by Graham Bailey on 67 Hail Hail, Knudsen needs to complete his Champions League marketing campaign with Bodø/Glimt earlier than taking the Celtic job. This implies the Bhoys might have to attend till subsequent 12 months because the Norwegian aspect’s final group sport will happen in 2026.
He’s presently in twenty ninth place and is unlikely to qualify for the subsequent stage. This implies Bodo’s final Champions League sport is prone to be in opposition to Atletico Madrid in January earlier than he’s utterly out of soccer till March. At that time, it will make good sense for Knudsen to take the job.
Additionally boosting Celtic’s pursuit is that the 57-year-old is reportedly eager to take the job if their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League come true. So the massive query for Celtic will probably be whether or not he’s well worth the wait.
Should you dig deeper into his historical past, you will discover that the Bodo/Glimt boss is actually an attention-grabbing choice. Knudsen, who has been accountable for the membership since 2018 and has gained 4 Norwegian league titles, put his managerial experience on full show this season in a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur on the European stage.
Andy Robertson decides to return to Celtic
