Reports from Norway suggest that American coach Bob Bradley has been offered the chance to jump straight back into the dugout.
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Norwegian outlet Nettavisen is reporting that there is a “concrete offer to Bob Bradley to take over the Norwegian national team” as the Scandinavian nation is currently without a manager following the firing of Per-Mathias Hogmo in November.
Bradley, 58, was fired by Premier League side Swansea City on Dec. 27 after just 11 games in charge but he told Pro Soccer Talk that he was “looking forward to the next challenge” following his disappointing departure from the Swans.
Other coaches linked with the Norway job are Molde manager Ole Gunnar Solksjaer and FC Copenhagen boss Stale Solbakken and the report goes on to state that it is not known when Bradley will respond to the offer from the Norwegian FA.
Bradley has a great reputation in Norway following his time in charge of Stabaek in the 2014 and 2015 Tippeligaen seasons.
Despite many tipping his team for relegation he took the tiny outfit located in the suburbs of Oslo to ninth place in his debut campaign and then third-place in the top-flight standings in his second season in charge, as well as making the semifinals of the Norwegian Cup in both years.
Living just outside Oslo, Bradley would also routinely spend time with the Norwegian FA and their coaching clinics as he became a much-liked figure in Norway and made multiple appearances on national TV.
Given his vast experience as both the manager of the U.S. national team and Egypt, Bradley would be a great fit for a Norwegian side currently in the middle of its 2018 World Cup qualifying cycle.
Norway has played four games in Group C of UEFA’s World Cup qualifying and sits in second to last place with just three points as Germany leads the way on 12 points in the only automatic qualifying spot, while Northern Ireland has seven points and occupies second place and a potential playoff spot for the 2018 World Cup. Azerbaijan is in third place and the Czech Republic is in fourth place, so Norway has plenty of work to do to get themselves back in the picture for just a playoff spot.
They haven’t qualified for a major tournament since EURO 2000 but with Real Madrid’s promising teenage product Martin Odegaard, plus Adama Diomande, Alex Tettey, Josh King, Harvard Nordtveit and Tarik Elyounoussi in the squad, he would have some talent to work with.