Wilfried Nancy on the Verge of Becoming Celtic Manager

Wilfried Nancy is reportedly close to being appointed as the manager of Celtic FC, according to BBC Scotland.

Discussions between the club and Nancy, the head coach of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, have reached an advanced stage. Celtic has been in search of a new manager since Brendan Rodgers resigned last month. Martin O’Neill, the club’s former manager, along with Shaun Maloney, has been overseeing the team during this transition.

Since returning, O’Neill has achieved a perfect record in his four domestic matches but suffered a defeat to Midtjylland in the Europa League. Currently, Hearts lead Celtic by four points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although Celtic has a game in hand.

Celtic is set to face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League match on Thursday, having secured four points so far. They will also defend the Premier Sports Cup in next month’s final against St Mirren, who recently lost 1-0 to O’Neill’s side.

The potential appointment of Nancy comes at a time of rising tensions between the club and its supporters. Last week, an annual meeting was abruptly abandoned when shareholders expressed their discontent towards comments made by Ross Desmond, leading to chants of “sack the board”.

Following the victory over St Mirren, O’Neill emphasized the necessity for “some sort of unification” within the club, reflecting the fans’ calls for changes in its management.

Nancy began his career in France, including a stint at Toulon, before transitioning to coaching in Canada. After Thierry Henry resigned in 2021, Nancy took charge at CF Montreal, guiding them to the Canadian Championship. He then moved to Columbus Crew in 2022 and led the team to the MLS Cup in 2023, as well as the Leagues Cup the previous year, earning the title of MLS Coach of the Year.

However, the Crew’s performance this year saw them finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference and twelfth overall. If appointed, Nancy would be taking on his first managerial role in Europe after overseeing 215 games in North America.