Celtic continue to search for their next manager, after Ange Postecoglou brought an end to his time at Parkhead by joining Tottenham Hotspur just days after guiding them to a treble. The Australian helped deliver five trophies in just two seasons so he leaves behind some huge shoes for the club to fill.
Celtic must get this next appointment right. Otherwise, the next title race could be much tighter than this one and the Rangers have already played several months under the management of Michael Beale, which could give them a bit of an advantage over the Hoops in the upcoming campaign.
Thus, it is important that Celtic get their new manager in place as soon as possible while also making sure that he is the right man for the job. And there is some great news in that respect.
Kjetil Knutsen is someone who had been linked with Celtic and Ajax in recent weeks. But now, it looks like the Dutch giants are out of the race to sign the Norwegian manager.
Celtic handed boost in next manager search by Ajax
As reported by De Telegraaf, there has been a breakdown of talks with Knutsen, and Maurice Steijn is on pole position for the vacant coaching position at Ajax.
Of course, that gives Celtic a boost in their pursuit of Knutsen to say the least. He is a very talented manager, and someone who would be popular amongst the fans, if he was brought in by the club over the coming weeks.
At the same time though, there are some doubts as well. On one hand, he had had an unremarkable coaching career before arriving at Bodo/Glimt. Also, he has never managed outside of Norway. Thus, there would certainly be an element of risk involved if Knutsen was handed the Celtic job.