Wilfried Nancy Approaches Celtic Managerial Role Amid Fan Tensions

Wilfried Nancy has achieved notable success in Major League Soccer but has yet to experience coaching in Europe.

According to BBC Scotland, Wilfried Nancy is on the verge of being appointed as the manager of Celtic Football Club. Negotiations between the Scottish champions and the French head coach of Columbus Crew in MLS have progressed 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 Shaun Maloney, has led the team through the last five matches.

O’Neill has secured victories in all four domestic games since his return, but faced a setback with a defeat against Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Currently, Hearts are ahead of the defending champions by four points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although Celtic holds a game in hand.

On Thursday, Celtic will face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League match, having accumulated four points thus far. Additionally, they are set to defend the Premier Sports Cup in the final against St Mirren next month, following a 1-0 victory over them on Saturday.

Should Nancy be confirmed as manager, he will step into the role during a period of tension between the club and its supporters. Last week, Celtic’s annual meeting was cut short as shareholders expressed their discontent with jeers directed at Ross Desmond, son of major shareholder Dermot Desmond, and some shareholders chanted for the board to be dismissed.

After the recent win in Paisley, O’Neill emphasized the need for “some sort of unification” within the club, in response to fan calls for changes in management during their match against St Mirren.

Nancy began his coaching career in Canada after playing in his native France, including a stint with Toulon. He took charge of CF Montreal in 2021 following Thierry Henry’s resignation and led the team to victory in the Canadian Championship that same year.

In 2022, Nancy moved to Columbus Crew, where he guided the team to win the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the previous year, earning recognition as MLS Coach of the Year. However, this year, the Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and twelfth overall.

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