The last time a talented, up-and-coming coach based in Scandinavia was attracting such attention, he would end up replacing Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea a couple of years after dragging Ostersunds from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the knockout rounds of the Europa League.
This is not to say, of course, that Kjetil Knutsen is destined to be one of the frontrunners to, say, take over from Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola somewhere down the line. But it seems only a matter of time before 54-year-old tactician is following in Graham Potter’s footsteps in one of Europe’s major leagues.
It was he, after all, who after put Bodo/Glimt on the map.
The team from the Arctic Circle had never won Norway’s top flight before until Knutsen led them to Eliteserien glory in 2020, just three years after securing promotion from the second tier. Bodo/Glimt then repeated the trick a year later. And while a third successive title looks beyond them with Molde cruising at the top of the table, Knutsen’s reputation has never been stronger; his name now familiar with wider audiences following a couple of high-profile European successes, including that famous 6-1 obliteration of Jose Mourinho’s Roma in the UEFA Conference League.
Per Nettavissen, Knutsen is one of three contenders to be nominated for Norway’s Manager of the Year for 2022. Should he pick up award, it will be his fourth in succession.
Could Kjetil Knutsen replace Giovanni van Bronckhorst at Rangers?
“That ability to work in the present has probably been the biggest competitive advantage we have had. Kjetil Knutsen is an absolute master at it,” Bodo/Glimt’s former academy director Gregg Broughton says (Training Ground Guru podcast).
“He refuses to look past the next game and training session. He absolutely lives that mantra every day.”
“Just look at what the team has done under his leadership” Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tells VG. “With the resources they have.”
Arteta was taken aback by Bodo/Glimt’s confidence and style during a recent Europa League meeting at the Emirates; a game in which the visitors mustered 51 per cent of the possession.
“The way they play and how brave they were here today,” Arteta adds. “They tried to play their own game. They are well organised and I like them. Their manager should take credit for that. It’s a very, very good team.”
‘Absolute master’
In recent times, Knutsen has been linked with managerial posts at Nottingham Forest, Brighton and Hove Albion, and Norwich City. According to the Daily Record, Rangers director Ross Wilson also identified Knutsen as a potential replacement for Steven Gerrard 12 months ago, before handing the reigns to Giovanni van Bronckhorst.
Now, with the Dutchman under serious pressure following a humiliating European campaign and a 2-1 defeat to St Johnstone, expect to see Knutsen’s name return to the Glasgow gossip columns.
Two league titles, a European run, and three Manager of the Year awards; is there really anything left for Kjetil to achieve at Bodo/Glimt?
Kjetil, at Rangers, would bring with him a winning mentality. A consistent, easily-recognisable style-of-play. An ability to construct a side greater than the sum of it’s parts. And, to top it all off, a proven track record in European football.
What’s not to like?
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