Eirik Horneland has offered a detailed insight on Kjetil Knutsen’s future following Bodø/Glimt’s Champions League exit. The Norwegian side pushed deep into the competition again, but their run ended in dramatic fashion, bringing fresh attention to their manager.
Knutsen’s name keeps coming up when jobs open across Europe. Celtic have been linked more than once, especially with the club weighing up long-term direction. His work in Norway has built a strong reputation, not just for results but for how his teams play.
Horneland’s view carries weight for a reason. The former Brann manager faced Knutsen’s Bodø/Glimt side during his time in Norway and saw the team up close. Horneland had also been part of the recent conversation in Scotland after being strongly linked with the Aberdeen job before they turned to Stephen Robinson.
That background gives context to what he is saying. This is not an outside opinion. It comes from someone who has worked in the same league and dealt with the same challenge.
He said: the NRK Bakrommet podcast (via Dagbladet), “I don’t think he’s going away. The guy is crazy. He has tunnel vision. Bodø seems to be everything to him in life.
“The hunger he has, been there for(nearly) ten years?
“Impressive, it’s enormous respect to have stood there for so long, I would probably have been more impatient. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of Glimt yet.”
That point about time is key. Knutsen has built the team step by step. Recruitment, style, and player development all link together at Bodø. Leaving means starting again somewhere else, and not every club gives that level of control.
Celtic would offer a different challenge. Bigger games every week. More pressure around results. Less time to build. That suits some managers. Others prefer a place where the structure is already theirs.
There is also what Bodø/Glimt still are on the pitch. They attack without hesitation and commit bodies forward. That approach has taken them deep into Europe, but it also needs players who fully buy into it.
A big part of that control sits in recruitment. Knutsen is heavily involved in the type of player Bodø bring in, shaping the squad to fit his style rather than adapting to what is already there. That link between coach and recruitment has been central to how they have grown.
Whether he would be willing to give that up is another question. At Celtic, recruitment is more shared and shaped by a wider structure. Any move would need alignment on that side as much as on the pitch.
That is where the uncertainty sits. The interest will not go away, but leaving Bodø means giving up more than just a job. It means stepping away from a project he has helped build in his own image.
