Glasgow Rangers are on the search for a new head coach this week after Michael Beale was removed from his post at Ibrox by the Scottish giants.
The Light Blues are now tasked with finding an adequate replacement who can salvage the club's season and lead them to glory over the months and years to come.
Beale failed to win a single trophy throughout his time in Glasgow and was appointed having previously been Steven Gerrard's assistant for the Gers.
Matches
30
Wins
23
Points
71
Titles
Zero
The Scottish side are now looking at another manager with close ties to the club as former Rangers defender Kevin Muscat has emerged as a candidate.
What's the latest on Kevin Muscat to Rangers?
TalkSPORT recently reported that the Australian head coach and Philippe Clement are two of the leading contenders to land the job this week.
The Scottish Sun have also claimed that the 50-year-old boss is prepared to quit Yokohama F.M. in order to seal a switch to Ibrox, if they offer him the job.
Their report also stated that chairman John Bennett and chief executive James Bisgrove conducted an interview with the English-born tactician as they continue to decide on who they want to become the next head coach of Rangers.
However, the club could look away from the ex-Millwall stopper and land a dream alternative to Muscat with a swoop for Bodo/Glimt head coach Kjetil Knutsen.
What's the latest on Kjetil Knutsen to Rangers?
Journalist Alan Nixon has revealed that the Norwegian tactician was in the running to land the job and may still be, until a final decision has been made by the Light Blues.
This is not the first time that the Bodo/Glimt mastermind has been linked with the Ibrox post, however, as he was touted as a candidate for the role back in 2021. Dutchman Giovanni van Bronckhorst was ultimately appointed instead and was then replaced by Beale in 2022.
His name cropped up yet again when the ex-Feyenoord boss was relieved of his duties during the break for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, as he was named as one of the 'frontrunners' before Beale's appointment was confirmed.
The Gers could now make it third time lucky with a swoop for Knutsen this year and it could be a masterstroke by Bisgrove and Bennett as he is an attack-minded manager who knows how to win titles and has impressed with his ability to coach in European competitions.
How many titles has Knutsen won?
He has won two league titles with Bodo/Glimt in the last three years and is currently on course to secure his third before the end of the year.
Knutsen's side won the Eliteserien at the end of the 2020 and 2021 campaigns and his side are top of the table with six matches left to play in 2023, after finishing second last term.
He has been able to coach a free-scoring team as his Bodo/Glimt side scored a staggering 103 goals in 30 Eliteserien games during the 2020 season, which speaks to how attack-minded the Gers target wants his players to be.
The 55-year-old chief, whose football was dubbed "fantastic to watch" by journalist Connor McGilligan, has averaged at least two points per game across each of the last four league seasons with the Norwegian outfit, and that record looks set to rake him in three titles in four years.
This shows that the reported Gers target has what it takes to coach a winning team and has showcased consistency over the course of several campaigns, which speaks to the high standards that he has drilled into his players as their performances have not dropped significantly throughout that period.
These qualities in a head coach are particularly pivotal for Rangers to look for in their next boss as they have not won a Scottish Premiership title since Gerrard lifted the trophy at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
Van Bronckhorst and Beale both finished behind Celtic during their respective tenures at Ibrox and Knutsen's impressive track record with Bodo/Glimt suggests that he has the potential to bring glory back to Ibrox.
How many titles has Muscat won?
The Australian boss has also won two titles as manager but only one of them has been within the past seven years and he has not shown himself to consistently produce a winning team.
Muscat won the league title with Melbourne Victory at the end of the 2014/15 campaign and had to wait until the 2022 season with Yokohama F.M. to secure his second crown.
The former Wolves defender has won 1.73 points per game on average throughout his managerial career and has won 1.86 or fewer points per match in two of his three seasons with his current club.
Games
267
Wins
135
Points
463
Titles
Two
Muscat's league performance as a manager
These statistics suggest that Knutsen has a better record in terms of getting his teams to consistently pick up wins and points to compete for trophies, which is backed up by his more recent haul of trophies.
What is Knutsen's record in Europe?
The 4-3-3 manager, whose style of play was dubbed “kamikaze” by Bodo/Glimt captain Ulrik Saltnes, has won 23 of his 45 matches in Europe.
Knutsen enjoyed a fantastic run in the Europa Conference League with seven wins and zero defeats in regular time across 11 matches as his side were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Beale won just two of his five matches in European competitions for the Light Blues and Muscat is yet to manage a single match in the Champions League, Europa League, or Europa Conference League.
This means that Knutsen has the edge over the former Rangers boss and the Yokohama head coach in this regard, as he has proven himself to be capable of managing a club to relative success on the European stage.
Couple that with his ability to consistently challenge for titles and produce an exciting brand of football and that is why the Norwegian tinkerer would be a dream alternative to Muscat.
Therefore, Bisgrove and Bennett must seriously consider a swoop to tempt Knutsen away from Bodo/Glimt to replace Beale and become their manager in an attempt to end Celtic's dominance of domestic football in Scotland.