Celtic FC Pursues Wilfried Nancy as Next Manager

omidbasir- Celtic FC has officially contacted Columbus Crew about the potential appointment of Wilfried Nancy as their next manager, according to a source familiar with the situation reported by ESPN.

Nancy, 48, has been in negotiations with Celtic for several weeks. However, the reigning Scottish champions had yet to reach out to the Crew until now. The two parties are currently working toward finalizing an agreement, which appears to be leaning towards Nancy’s transition to the Scottish Premiership, the source indicated.

Discussions are also ongoing regarding the inclusion of members from Nancy’s staff who may accompany him to Glasgow.

Celtic has been without a permanent manager since Brendan Rogers resigned on October 27 following a challenging start to the season. Since then, Martin O’Neill has been managing the team on an interim basis.

Over the past few years, the Crew engaged in conversations with Nancy about extending his contract, which currently runs through 2026, and making him the highest-paid manager in Major League Soccer (MLS). However, Nancy opted not to pursue a longer-term deal, expressing his desire to manage overseas instead.

Should the agreement with Celtic come to fruition, it would mark the conclusion of a successful three-year tenure for Nancy in Columbus. During his time there, he led the Crew to victory in the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2024. Following the latter triumph, Nancy was honored as the MLS Coach of the Year.

In addition to this accolade, Nancy has been commended for implementing an attractive, possession-based style of play, all while managing a team with a budget that ranked outside the top third in player salaries for 2025.

Previously, Nancy enjoyed a successful stint as the manager of CF Montréal from 2021 to 2022, where he won the Canadian Championship in 2021. He was appointed to that position after the sudden resignation of Thierry Henry. His tenure with Montreal began over a decade ago in their academy, before he transitioned to the first team as an assistant coach in 2016. Nancy departed Montreal in December 2022 following a disagreement with owner Joey Saputo.

He had a modest playing career, starting with fourth-tier Toulon and later representing several lower league teams, including Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Châtellerault, and Orléans.