Wilfried Nancy Poised for Celtic Manager Role Amid Fan Tensions

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

Negotiations between the Scottish champions and the French coach have progressed significantly, as Celtic seeks a new leader following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation last month. In the interim, former manager Martin O’Neill, alongside Shaun Maloney, has directed the team through five matches, achieving victories in four domestic games but suffering a defeat to Midtjylland in the Europa League.

At present, Hearts leads the Scottish Premiership by four points, although Celtic has a match in hand. The team is set to face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League match on Thursday, having earned 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 squad.

Should Nancy’s appointment proceed as anticipated, he will step into a role amid existing tensions between the club and its supporters. Last week, an annual meeting was abruptly interrupted as shareholders expressed their discontent, particularly directed at comments made by Ross Desmond, the son of major shareholder Dermot. This unrest was further highlighted by calls from fans to ‘sack the board’ during Saturday’s match against St Mirren.

Following the recent victory, O’Neill emphasized the need for ‘some sort of unification’ within the club, reflecting the concerns voiced by fans regarding the club’s management.

Nancy began his career in coaching in Canada after playing professionally in his native France, including a stint with Toulon. He succeeded Thierry Henry as head coach at CF Montreal in 2021, leading the team to the Canadian Championship that same year. In 2022, he took the reins at Columbus Crew, guiding them to both the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the previous year, while also earning recognition as MLS Coach of the Year. However, this season saw the Crew finish seventh in the Eastern Conference and twelfth overall.

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