Wilfried Nancy Approaches Celtic Manager Role Amid Tensions

Wilfried Nancy has found notable success in Major League Soccer (MLS) and is poised to become the next manager of Celtic FC, according to reports from BBC Scotland.

Negotiations between Celtic, the reigning champions of Scotland, and Nancy, the head coach of Columbus Crew, have progressed significantly. Since Brendan Rodgers’ resignation last month, Celtic has been actively seeking a replacement. The club’s former manager, Martin O’Neill, along with Shaun Maloney, has temporarily taken charge and led the team through the last five matches.

O’Neill has secured victories in all four domestic matches since his return, but the team faced a setback with a loss to Midtjylland in the Europa League. Currently, Hearts are leading the Scottish Premiership, four points ahead of Celtic, although the latter holds a game in hand.

Celtic is set to visit Feyenoord for their fifth Europa League match on Thursday, having garnered four points in the competition thus far. Additionally, they are preparing to defend their Premier Sports Cup title next month against St Mirren, who recently suffered a 1-0 defeat to O’Neill’s side.

Should Nancy’s appointment be finalized, he will take on his new role amidst increasing tensions between the club’s management and its supporters. Recently, an annual meeting was interrupted by shareholders expressing their discontent, chanting slogans such as “sack the board”.

Following the victory over St Mirren, O’Neill emphasized the need for “some sort of unification” within the club, highlighting the fans’ calls for operational changes.

Nancy’s coaching career began in Canada after a playing stint in his native France, including time at Toulon. He became head coach at CF Montreal in 2021, leading the team to win the Canadian Championship later that year. He joined Columbus Crew in 2022, guiding them to an MLS Cup championship in 2023 and winning the Leagues Cup the previous year, earning the title of MLS Coach of the Year. Despite these achievements, his team struggled in the current season, finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall.

In total, Nancy has managed 215 games in North America, and a potential move to Celtic would mark his inaugural managerial role in Europe.