– I want to strongly emphasize that to skip something in the middle of a season, it takes an extremely lot for me, Knutsen said to TV 2 after the yellow jerseys took their eighth straight victory against Vålerenga on Sunday. It was ahead of the cup match against Junkeren earlier this week that the major Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf wrote that Ajax’s new sporting director Sven Mislintat had been in contact with Knutsen’s agent. The Dutch club are on the hunt for a manager after Alfred Schreuder was sacked in January. Nor has John Heitinga, who has taken over as coach, impressed Mislintat enough to allow him to continue in the job. Since the rumors started swirling earlier this week, Knutsen has been bombarded with questions about whether he is interested – and current – for the Ajax job. After a slightly slow start to the season, new signing Faris Pemi at the top of Bodø/Glimt has really got his scoring form in order. Against Vålerenga, he scored two new goals, and is up to eight goals this season. Photo: Fredrik Varfjell / NTB – No other plans but Glimt But the main character has had to repeat himself once again: That his focus is in Bodø/Glimt – and only there. – Then we get to find out, mostly for the club’s part, when it is right for players or coaches to do something else. But right now the place I am in is an incredibly good place to be, Knutsen continues to TV 2. Not even when news asked Knutsen about the Ajax job after the cup match against Junkeren on Thursday, Knutsen let himself be swayed. – I do not respond to rumours. I’ve said it many times – and I’ll say it again – I’m enjoying myself and have no other plans than to be in Glimt. Dot. – Knutsen is a special man Because it is not just Ajax who have apparently been interested in the services of the Bergen native. In the last couple of years, Knutsen has – to a greater or lesser degree – been connected to a number of clubs abroad: Clubs Knutsen has been linked to: November 2021: Knutsen sailed up as the odds-setters’ favorite in England to take over that club Norwich, after that Daniel Farke was fired. December 2021: Knutsen’s agent Morten Wivestad tells VG that the Bergen man had turned down several inquiries from abroad. Among these are several top clubs in Scandinavia, but also clubs in countries such as England, Belgium and the Netherlands. According to the newspaper, there should also have been a concrete offer from the MLS club Los Angeles FC. February 2022: Two days before Bodø/Glimt met Celtic in the Serie Liga, the Scottish Daily Record reported that Knutsen was considered an “outsider” to take over the job at rivals Aberdeen. But Knutsen never became Aberdeen coach, and Glimt won 5–1 on aggregate against Celtic. June 2022: Bodø/Glimt’s former academy manager, Gregg Broughton took over as sports director at Blackburn. Not long after, the odds-setters in England predicted that Knutsen was suitable for the job as head coach. September 2022: After Brighton coach Graham Potter left the club in favor of Chelsea, Knutsen was linked to the club on the English south coast. Reputable newspapers such as The Telegraph and The Athletic reported that Knutsen was considered for the job. September 2022: Around the same time as Knutsen was linked to Brighton, Bournemouth were also without a coach. The Athletic thought Knutsen was an obvious candidate for the job. November 2022: Once again, Knutsen was linked to Scottish football by the British TV channel Sky News. This time to Rangers, who had just got rid of Giovanni van Bronckhorst. February 2023: Both the BBC and the Daily Mirror had Knutsen on the list of possible candidates to take over Leeds after Jesse Marsch was sacked. Sports journalist Freddy Toresen in Avisa Nordland has followed Glimt closely for a number of years. He believes Knutsen when he says that he does not allow himself to be distracted by the flood of rumours. – Knutsen is a special man. He goes extremely “all in” where he is at all times. – When the rumors about Ajax appeared, Knutsen’s mind was on the matches against Junkeren (in the cup) and Vålerenga (in the Eliteserien). I think as of now he is totally unaffected by the speculation. Freddy Toresen is football Photo: Private – Must have a new coach now In addition, Toresen believes that the timing of the rumors surrounding Ajax is not to the Dutch’s advantage. Because while Norway plays the spring-autumn season, most other nations in Europe play the autumn-spring season. – Ajax must have a new coach for the start of the season in July. So if the Dutch are going to have Knutsen, it is now – and not when the Norwegian series is finished. They are going to stake out a new course and can’t wait. He believes Knutsen is aware of how much influence he has in Bodø/Glimt, and is aware that this will not necessarily be the case in bigger clubs out in Europe. – I am not convinced that he had brought the whole of Ajax, Dortmund or Club Brugge – to take a few examples – that “This is the way we are going to do it. If he takes over Ajax, it is someone other than Knutsen who will bring players to the club. At the same time, he believes that if Ajax had made contact, Knutsen would at least have to listen to what they have to say. – But one thing I think is certain: If Ajax does not sign Knutsen now, then there will be even more speculation about Kjetil until the season in Norway is over. PS: On Wednesday next week, Bodø/Glimt play away to Ranheim in the cup’s third round.
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– It takes an extremely long time for me – news Nordland
