FORMER Celtic and Norway defender cum midfielder Vidar Riseth believes Bodo/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen is the “right coach” to replace Ange Postecoglou – because of his proven track record of landing exceptional players in the international transfer market for affordable fees.
Knutsen, who led Bodo to back-to-back Eliteserien titles in 2020 and 2021 and then through to the quarter-finals of the UEFA Conference League, has emerged as one of the favourites to take over from Postecoglou at Parkhead.
Riseth feels the three-time Eliteserien Coach of the Year, who masterminded an astonishing 6-1 win over the Roma team managed by Jose Mourinho in the Conference League group stages in 2021, would be the perfect man for the job.
The 52-times capped 51-year-old, who has worked as a television pundit in his homeland since retiring from playing, has marvelled at how his countryman has repeatedly assembled successful sides on a limited budget at the Aspmyra Stadium.
The utility man saw how his then manager Dr Jo Venglos was widely ridiculed by opposition fans and media pundits when he signed his Slovakian compatriot Lubomir Moravcik from Duisburg for £200,000 the month after he arrived in Glasgow in 1998.
However, he watched the midfield magician take Scottish football by storm during the next two seasons, make his detractors eat their words with his inspired attacking displays and firmly establish himself as an all-time Celtic great.
Riseth is confident that Knutsen, who has also been linked with a move to Ajax following the sacking of John Heitinga last week, would be able to unearth a similar standard of player and help the Scottish champions to compete with opponents from larger and richer leagues at the highest level in Europe.
However, he has seen how the 54-year-old, whose team recorded an emphatic 5-1 aggregate victory over Postecoglou’s side in the Conference League knockout round play-off last season, has turned down the chance to move abroad in the past and thinks the treble winners will do well to land him.
Asked if he thought that Knutsen would be a good appointment by Celtic, he said: “One hundred per cent.
“I know that before he signed his current contract with Bodo/Glimt that he had the chance to go to Bundesliga clubs in Germany and Premier League clubs in England. But he felt that he couldn’t walk away because he had a really good team.
“If Celtic have a chance to sign him up they have to because he is a really good coach. He is definitely the right coach for Celtic. But I think it is going to be really difficult for them because he is really happy at Bodo.”
Riseth added: “The system that he uses at Bodo/Glimt has been a big part of their success, but he also has to pick the right players. He is a manager who can see the good side of every player and put all the players he has together in a system that works good. That is very important for a team to get success.
“One of his great strengths is being able to find the right players. Sometimes he doesn’t go for the big, big names. Knutsen is this type of coach. He finds players who are good in the system he uses and makes it work.
“Everyone in Scotland will remember Lubomir Moravcik. When he came to Celtic nobody had heard about him. But he played brilliant football, scored a lot of good goals and enjoyed great success. He is a legend at Parkhead now.
“Celtic are not able to spend the sort of money on players that the teams they play in Europe can. That is why I think Knutsen is the right coach for Celtic.”
