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Former Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou has previously heaped praise on one of the Hoops' current top managerial candidates, Kjetil Knutsen, both in terms of his coaching credentials and character. Knutsen is currently head coach of Norwegian top flight outfit Bodo/Glimt, where he was named Eliteserien Manager of the Year for three consecutive seasons between 2019 and 2021, and has now emerged on the Scottish Premier League champions' radar following Brendan Rodgers' exit last month. Alongside Ipswich Town head coach Kieran McKenna, Knutsen is one of the leading candidates to become Celtic manager, if interim boss Martin O'Neill is not given the reins permanently until the end of the current campaign. Knutsen has vastly impressed in Norway, and Postecoglou has already explained to his former employers what calibre of coach Celtic would be recruiting if they hired the Norwegian instead of McKenna. What Ange Postecoglou Thinks of Celtic Target Kjetil Knutsen Former Celtic boss Postecoglou, who led the Scottish giants to consecutive top flight titles between 2021 and 2023, was in the opposite dugout to Knutsen when Spurs took on Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League semi-finals last season. Postecoglou's side beat Knutsen's 3-1 in the first leg on home soil, before winning 2-0 in Norway to book their spot in the Europa League final, in which they emerged as victors over Premier League rivals Manchester United. However, Spurs' victory was not the first meeting between Postecoglou and Knutsen, with the Australian suffering a heavy 5-1 defeat on aggregate across two legs to Bodo/Glimt in the Europa Conference League campaign in the 2021/22 season with Celtic. Before drawing swords once again in April, ahead of their meeting in the Europa League, Postecoglou said of now-Celtic candidate Knutsen: A good guy. Obviously, I met him a few years back, and he has done really well with them [Bodo/Glimt]. He has had a real clear identity about the way he wants his team to play. He's created a real strong culture at the club, not just from a football perspective but from a mental perspective, and you see that. He has done very well. This season, Bodo/Glimt have enjoyed an impressive start to the league campaign under Knutsen, sitting one point behind Eliteserien leaders Viking, but remain five spaces shy of qualification for the Champions League play-offs. Whether it is O'Neill, McKenna or Knutsen who is appointed by Celtic as Rodgers' permanent successor, the expectation will be for a successful run in the Europa League and to catch up with SPL title-hopefuls Hearts and retain their crown as Scottish champions. Postecoglou's praise of the 57-year-old, who is yet to manage outside of Norway, would point towards Knutsen being a sensible appointment by the Celtic hierarchy due to his ability to nurture a "strong culture", which would be imperative for a mammoth outfit akin to the 55-time Scottish top flight title winners.
