Thomas Frank rules himself out of European job with ex-Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy a contender

Wilfried Nancy and Kjetil Knutsen are contenders to become the next Strasbourg manager, talkSPORT understands.

The French club are on the lookout for a new boss after Gary O’Neil’s departure to take charge of Ipswich.

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This marks the second time this year that the BlueCo-owned outfit find themselves looking for a replacement in the dugout.

O’Neil was only appointed as Strasbourg head coach in January, succeeding Liam Rosenior following his ill-fated departure to Chelsea.

But with the English coach returning to the Premier League with newly-promoted Ipswich, the Ligue 1 side have now begun their hunt for his successor.

And it could be a familiar face they turn to, with ex-Celtic boss Nancy understood to among the names being considered for the vacancy.

The Frenchman endured a disastrous 33-day tenure in charge of the Scottish giants – the shortest managerial stint in the club’s history.

He was sacked after losing six of his eight games in charge, but it now appears Strasbourg are prepared to offer him a route back into management.

Nancy isn’t the only contender for the role though, with Bodo/Glimt boss Knutsen also believed to be a potential candidate.

Knutsen has earned plenty of admirers having masterminded the Norwegian side’s remarkable rise, leading them to the last-16 of last season’s Champions League, and was even seen as a contender for the Ipswich job before O’Neil’s appointment.

Frank-ly not going to happen

Another familiar name to be linked with the Strasbourg vacancy is ex-Tottenham and Brentford boss Thomas Frank.

Reports in France claim that the Dane has been approached by the Alsace club, but he won’t be in any hurry to find a new club.

Frank has been out of work since his sacking by Spurs in February, and has already ruled out a return to management this summer.

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talkSPORT previously reported that the 52-year-old had held talks over the vacant position at Crystal Palace, before Pierre Sage was named as the successor to Oliver Glasner.

Frank was also linked with succeeding Marco Silva at Fulham, with Alvaro Arbeloa now set to take charge in west London.

However, the Danish coach later shut down any talk of a return in a statement in June, and has since been a fixture on the BBC‘s punditry team during this summer’s World Cup.

He said: “There have been conversations and opportunities since leaving Spurs, but I have decided not to rush into the next role.

“For me, this summer is not the right time to go back into management.

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“When the time is right, I will look forward to my return as a manager, ready to embrace the job with great energy and dedication.”

Frank spent seven years in charge of Brentford before his switch to Tottenham in the summer of 2025.

He led Spurs to just seven wins from 26 Premier League games in charge, clocking up a win rate of just 26.9 per cent – the worst of any Tottenham manager in the Premier League era.

European dreams?

It’s fair to say Strasbourg will be targeting an ambitious managerial appointment, having enjoyed an historic spell under O’Neil.

During his half-season at the helm, the English coach guided the French side into the Conference League semi-finals.

This was the first time Strasbourg had reached the last four of a European competition.

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And Knutsen’s pedigree may well be appealing here, who has worked wonders at Bodo/Glimt.

In his seven years as boss so far, he has transformed them into a powerhouse and a regular feature in European football.

The city of Bodo is home to just over 50,000 people and Knutsen has incredibly led their club to the Champions League.

They reached the league phase of the competition for the first time last season and even reached the last-16 – beating Manchester City, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan twice en route to the knockout stages.

He has also won four league titles, the latest being in 2024, with their current campaign still ongoing.