New Celtic next manager favourite emerges amid 'real swing' towards much-admired 57y/o title winner

Celtic are on the hunt for a new head coach after parting company with Brendan Rodgers, who tendered his resignation on October 27 following a breakdown in his relationship with the board of directors. Former Parkhead boss Martin O'Neill has returned to take charge on an interim basis and was installed as the bookies favourite after steering his side to back-to-back wins over Falkirk and Rangers.

However, the 3-1 defeat to Midtjylland in the Europa League on Thursday has seen support for the 73-year-old landing the job permanently dwindle, with a new name replacing the Northern Irishman at the top of the odds list.

Kjetil Knutsen is the man who has surged into the number one spot with the Bodo/Glimt boss winning many admirers for his work at the Norwegian club since his appointment in 2018.

The 57-year-old led Bodo/Glimt to their first ever league title in 2020 and backed this up with three more championship successes in the next four years. Knutsen has also broken new ground in Europe, taking Bodo/Glimt into the Champions League for the first time in their history this season having reached the Europa League semis last term.

Knutsen has remained fiercely loyal to Bobo/Glimt over the years despite interest from bigger clubs, turning down an approach from Ajax in 2023. However, with his contract due to expire in December at the end of the current Eliteserien campaign, his potential availability has led to speculation over a move into the Celtic hotseat.

Those rumours were fuelled by former Celtic boss Gordon Strachan who claimed that Celtic are preparing to wait until December to land their preferred candidate.

Former Celtic defender Johan Mjallby believes Knutsen could be the ideal choice. Speaking on TNT Sports, the former Sweden defender said: "Kjetil Knutsen has been doing a terrific job for a number of seasons. He would be a very interesting choice.

“He would definitely (prioritise) still being good on the ball, but a mix, I would say, between the game Brendan Rodgers played, and the game Martin O’Neill wants to play. Maybe the perfect fit, who knows?"

Knutsen has been backed into 6/4 favourite to become Celtic’s next permanent manager, having been as big as 6/1 earlier in the week, according to the latest odds from William Hill.

Interim boss O’Neill remains second favourite at 3/1, while Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna, who was 4/1 on Monday, has drifted to 6/1, and a return for Ange Postecoglou has also eased from 5/1 to 8/1.

Lee Phelps, spokesperson for William Hill, said: “There’s been a real swing in the market to be the next Celtic manager, with Kjetil Knutsen now our 6/4 favourite having been 6/1 just a few days ago. Martin O’Neill holds steady at 3/1 to remain in the dugout with the William Hill Premiership giants.

“Kieran McKenna has drifted from 4/1 to 6/1 as interest in the Ipswich boss appears to have waned, while Ange Postecoglou has moved out to 8/1 from 5/1, amid growing uncertainty over whether he would consider a second spell at Celtic Park.”