Swansea City are still without a head coach but have several targets on a list, including Bodø/Glimt boss Kjetil Knutsen, according to the latest reports.
Former manager Michael Duff was relieved of his duties at the beginning of December off the back of a five-game winless run and having just dropped two points at home against relegation battlers Huddersfield Town.
However, the search for a new head coach has certainly been dragged out but it has been revealed that caretaker boss Alan Sheehan will take charge of the Swans’ next two matches against Preston North End tonight and away at Southampton on Boxing Day.
Speaking after the side’s 2-1 home defeat to Middlesbrough at the weekend, Sheehan admitted that the situation must be clarified soon by the board [quotes via Yahoo Sport Australia]:
“It needs clarifying soon, I think that’s fair.
“But I understand that it’s a process to get the right manager. Sometimes you can rush into these things, but I think it’s a process of finding who the right man is to lead Swansea City in the right direction.”
Having competed in the UEFA Europa League just ten years ago, the Welsh outfit have now picked up merely one win in their last eight league outings which came in a 2-1 victory over bottom-of-the-table Rotherham United a fortnight ago.
Additionally, the Swans are merely five points above the relegation zone and 11 points behind Hull City in the final playoff spot but are still looking for Duff’s permanent successor in the Swansea.com Stadium dugout.
Now, the BBC are reporting that Bodø/Glimt manager Kjetil Knutsen has been added to the list of potential candidates to take the job.
The 55-year-old has done a superb job with the Norwegian outfit, winning three of the last four Eliteserien titles despite the club having never won the league in their history.
Furthermore, Knusten boasts a 60% win ratio with Glimt, having won 153 of his 256 games in charge, according to Transfermarkt. The most notable of these victories came at home in a 6-1 thrashing of Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma in the Europa League two seasons ago.
https://twitter.com/CastCanary/status/1457685215569227783
Writer’s View
Knutsen has been linked with several top jobs before, including vacant positions in the Premier League such as at Leeds United, when the Yorkshire side were still in the top-flight, and even Scottish giants Celtic after Ange Postecoglou left for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer.
To get a manager with his pedigree would be an astonishing achievement by the Swansea City board and Knutsen’s attacking brand of football would be a sight to behold in Wales. However, it’s unlikely that the Norwegian will be keen to leave the champions of Norway for a team fighting relegation in England’s second tier.
Deputy Head of Writing
