Wilfried Nancy on the Verge of Becoming Celtic’s New Manager

Wilfried Nancy has experienced considerable success in Major League Soccer (MLS) but has yet to embark on a coaching career in Europe.

According to BBC Scotland, Nancy is nearing an appointment as the manager of Celtic FC. Discussions between the Scottish champions and the French head coach of Columbus Crew have advanced significantly.

Celtic has been in search of a new manager since Brendan Rodgers resigned last month. In the interim, former manager Martin O’Neill, along with assistant Shaun Maloney, has overseen five matches, winning all four domestic games. However, they faced a setback, losing to Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Currently, Hearts leads the defending champions by four points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although Celtic has a game in hand to potentially close the gap.

Celtic is set to visit Feyenoord for their fifth Europa League match on Thursday, having garnered four points thus far. They are also preparing to defend the Premier Sports Cup in a final against St Mirren next month, following a recent 1-0 victory against them.

Should Nancy’s appointment proceed as anticipated, he will step into the role amid existing tensions between the club and its supporters. Last week, Celtic’s annual meeting was disrupted when shareholders expressed dissatisfaction towards comments made by Ross Desmond, the son of major shareholder Dermot Desmond, leading to chants of “sack the board” from some attendees.

Following Saturday’s win in Paisley, O’Neill emphasized the need for “some sort of unification” within the club, as fans continue to call for changes in management practices during their matches.

Nancy’s coaching career began in Canada after playing professionally in his homeland, including a stint with Toulon. He assumed the head coaching role at CF Montreal in 2021 after Thierry Henry’s resignation, leading the team to victory in the Canadian Championship that same year. In 2022, he transitioned to Columbus Crew, where he guided the team to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in the previous year, earning him the title of MLS Coach of the Year.

Despite this success, Columbus Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and twelfth overall this season. In total, Nancy has managed 215 matches in North America, and a potential move to Celtic would mark his inaugural managerial position in Europe.