Celtic FC Approaches Columbus Crew for Wilfried Nancy’s Management Position

Celtic FC has formally initiated contact with Columbus Crew concerning the potential hiring of Wilfried Nancy as their next manager, as reported by a reliable source to ESPN.

Nancy, 48, has been engaged in discussions with Celtic for several weeks; however, the reigning Scottish champions had not approached the Crew until recently. The two parties are now actively working to finalize an agreement that appears to be favoring Nancy’s move to the Scottish Premiership, according to the source.

Additionally, discussions are ongoing regarding which members of Nancy’s coaching staff will accompany him to Glasgow.

Since Brendan Rodgers’s resignation on October 27, following a challenging start to the season, Celtic has lacked a permanent manager. Martin O’Neill has been filling the role on an interim basis since then.

The Crew had explored extending Nancy’s contract, which currently runs through 2026, over the past few years. They intended to make him the highest-paid manager in Major League Soccer (MLS). However, Nancy declined, expressing his desire not to commit to a long-term deal as he harbors ambitions to manage abroad.

If the deal with Celtic is finalized, it would mark the conclusion of a highly successful three-year tenure for Nancy in Columbus. During his time, the Crew secured the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2024.

Following the latter victory, Nancy was honored as the MLS Coach of the Year. His coaching style was widely appreciated for its attractive, possession-based approach, especially in 2025 when the team was one of the lowest spenders on player salaries.

Nancy previously enjoyed success as the manager of CF Montréal from 2021 to 2022, where he led the team to win the Canadian Championship in 2021 after stepping in following the abrupt resignation of Thierry Henry. Before his managerial role, he spent a decade at Montreal, working in their academy and serving as an assistant coach from 2016.

He parted ways with Montreal in December 2022 following a disagreement with owner Joey Saputo.

In terms of his playing career, Nancy had modest beginnings, starting with fourth-tier club Toulon, and later playing for several lower-league teams, including Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Châtellerault, and Orléans.