Celtic FC Approaches Wilfried Nancy for Managerial Position

omidbasir- Celtic FC has officially contacted Columbus Crew regarding the potential hiring of Wilfried Nancy as their next manager, according to a source familiar with the situation who spoke to ESPN.

Nancy, 48, has reportedly been in discussions with Celtic for several weeks. However, the reigning Scottish champions had not yet reached out to the Crew until now. The two parties are currently working to finalize an agreement, which appears to be progressing towards Nancy making a move to the Scottish Premiership.

Discussions are also underway regarding which members of Nancy’s coaching staff will accompany him to Glasgow.

Celtic has been without a permanent manager since Brendan Rogers resigned on October 27 following a challenging start to the season. Since then, Martin O’Neill has been managing the team on an interim basis.

The Crew had previously engaged in conversations with Nancy over the past few years concerning an extension of his contract, which is currently set to expire in 2026. They even proposed to make him the highest-paid manager in Major League Soccer (MLS). However, Nancy declined the offer, expressing his desire not to sign a long-term deal and his ambitions to manage abroad.

If the deal with Celtic is finalized, it would mark the conclusion of Nancy’s successful three-year tenure in Columbus. During his time there, he led the team to victory in the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2024.

Following the latter achievement, Nancy was honored as the MLS Coach of the Year. He received accolades for implementing an attractive, possession-based style of football, coaching a team that ranked just outside the top tier in player salary expenditures in 2025.

In addition to his current achievements, Nancy had a notable tenure as the manager of CF Montréal from 2021 to 2022, where he claimed the Canadian Championship in 2021. He took over this role after the unexpected resignation of Thierry Henry. Prior to his managerial position, Nancy spent a decade with the Montreal organization, initially coaching in their academy before joining the first team as an assistant in 2016. He parted ways with Montreal in December 2022 due to a disagreement with owner Joey Saputo.

Nancy’s playing career was modest, beginning with a stint at fourth-tier Toulon and later involving time at various lower league clubs, including Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Châtellerault, and Orléans.