Brendan Rodgers' Celtic exit does feel like a matter of when and not if. It was always going to be difficult to convince him to extend his stay at Parkhead beyond his current deal. After what we saw unfold over the course of the summer transfer window, it is hard to imagine that there is any possible scenario in which he signs a contract extension. The best we can hope for is that he does not leave in the middle of the season.
Of course, most fans feel that Rodgers has not been given the backing that he deserves. Then there are some who will argue that even when he got it, they did not make the most of it. They'll point towards signing Adam Idah for £9.5 million and Arne Engels for a club-record fee.
Were those signings that Rodgers wanted or ones backed by the recruitment team? Perhaps these are questions we will never know the answer to.
One thing is clear though, the time might already be here for Celtic to start preparing for the post-Rodgers era, again. It is very possible that they have started doing it already. And they have been told who they need to appoint as their next manager.
Celtic told to appoint Norwegian manager when Brendan Rodgers leaves
Andy Muirhead believes that Celtic should move Heaven and Earth for Kjetil Knutsen. He wrote on his blog:
" In my opinion, Celtic must appoint Kjetil Knutsen as Rodgers’ successor - to reshape Celtic’s future on the domestic and European stage.
Knutsen is known for engineering a dramatic rise in Norwegian football with FK Bodø/Glimt, with his philosophy, youth development mastery, and tactical brilliance offer an ideal blueprint for what Celtic needs next."
Knutsen has been one of the biggest success stories in European football in recent years. With Bodo/Glimt, he has won four league titles.
He has made his presence felt on the European level as well though. Celtic will know that first hand, having lost a one-sided tie at the hands of Bodo/Glimt back when Ange Postecoglou was the manager of the club. The Norwegian side have continued their rise since then and will be playing Champions League football this season.