Wilfried Nancy Close to Celtic Manager Position Amid Fan Tensions

Wilfried Nancy, currently the head coach of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, is reportedly on the verge of being appointed as the new manager of Celtic FC, according to BBC Scotland.

Negotiations between the Scottish champions and Nancy have reached an advanced stage as Celtic seeks a replacement for Brendan Rodgers, who resigned last month. In the interim, former manager Martin O’Neill, assisted by Shaun Maloney, has overseen five matches, winning four domestic fixtures but suffering a defeat in the Europa League against Midtjylland.

Despite their recent successes, Celtic finds themselves four points behind Hearts at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although they do hold a game in hand. The team is set to face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League match on Thursday, having accumulated four points thus far. Additionally, they are preparing to defend the Premier Sports Cup next month against St Mirren, who recently lost to O’Neill’s side.

Should Nancy’s appointment be finalized, he will step into a role amid noticeable tensions between the club and its supporters. Last week, Celtic’s annual meeting was disrupted when shareholders voiced their displeasure during comments made by Ross Desmond, son of major shareholder Dermot Desmond, leading to chants of “sack the board.”

O’Neill has expressed a need for “some sort of unification” within the club following calls for changes from fans during recent matches.

Nancy’s coaching career began in Canada after playing professionally in France, including a stint with Toulon. He took over as head coach at CF Montreal in 2021, leading the team to the Canadian Championship that same year. He joined Columbus Crew in 2022, guiding the team to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the previous year, earning recognition as MLS Coach of the Year. However, under his leadership this season, the team finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and twelfth overall. A potential move to Celtic would mark Nancy’s first managerial position in Europe, having overseen a total of 215 matches in North America.