Nancy’s Potential Move to Celtic: A New Chapter in His Coaching Career

There appears to be significant momentum regarding Nancy’s potential transition to Celtic, as reported by Fabrizio Romano. The Columbus Crew manager is emerging as one of the top candidates for the managerial vacancy at the Scottish Premiership club. The French coach has been frequently associated with a move to Europe and was anticipated to depart at the conclusion of the 2024 season. However, he chose to remain for the 2025 campaign, having previously indicated an openness to future opportunities.

“I’ve experienced times when I was unknown and no one spoke about me, but now the situation has changed,” Nancy remarked to GOAL during MLS Media Day in January. “Currently, everything is functioning well with my staff, and I am content in Columbus. Beyond that, we’ll see what happens.”

Since joining MLS in 2023, Nancy has distinguished himself as one of the league’s top coaches, leading the Crew, a smaller market team, to victory in the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the following year. His achievements earned him the title of 2024 MLS Coach of the Year. Prior to this, he narrowly missed out on the Coach of the Year award while guiding a struggling Montreal side in 2022.

Max Arfsten, a left back for Columbus Crew, acknowledged that Nancy might be contemplating a move to Europe. “It would be challenging if he left, as he’s an excellent coach. However, he must make decisions that are best for his career. If he wishes to explore opportunities in Europe, that is something to respect,” Arfsten stated during a recent USMNT availability. “While it would be difficult for us in Columbus, we must support his aspirations.”

Despite his past successes, 2025 has been somewhat disappointing for Nancy. The Crew were considered strong contenders for the MLS Cup at the start of the season but faced difficulties as the season progressed. Although they displayed resilience against local rivals FC Cincinnati in the playoffs, they were eliminated after a 2-1 loss in Game 3 of the first round.

While Nancy is a frontrunner for the position at Celtic, he is not the only candidate under consideration. Reports suggest that Celtic is also evaluating Kjetil Knutsen, the head coach of Bodo/Glimt, for the vacant managerial role. Notably, O’Neill has secured three consecutive victories since returning to the club.