Wilfried Nancy on the Verge of Becoming Celtic Manager

Wilfried Nancy has found success in Major League Soccer but has yet to coach in Europe.

According to BBC Scotland, Nancy is close to being appointed as the new manager of Celtic FC. Negotiations between the Scottish champions and the French head coach of the Columbus Crew have reached an advanced stage.

Celtic has been in search of a new manager since Brendan Rodgers resigned last month. In the interim, former manager Martin O’Neill, assisted by Shaun Maloney, has taken charge of the team, winning all four domestic matches but suffering a defeat against Midtjylland in the Europa League.

Currently, Hearts lead Celtic by four points at the top of the Scottish Premiership, although Celtic has a game in hand. They are set to face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League match on Thursday, having garnered four points so far. Additionally, Celtic will defend the Premier Sports Cup next month against St Mirren, who recently lost 1-0 to O’Neill’s side.

If Nancy’s appointment proceeds as expected, he will commence his role at Celtic amid tensions between the club and its supporters. Last week, Celtic’s annual meeting was disrupted when shareholders voiced discontent with comments made by Ross Desmond, the son of major shareholder Dermot, and some shareholders chanted “sack the board.”

Following Saturday’s victory in Paisley, O’Neill emphasized the need for “some sort of unification” within the club, in light of fan calls for changes in the club’s management.

Nancy’s coaching career began in Canada after playing in his native France, including a stint with Toulon. He took over as head coach at CF Montreal in 2021 following Thierry Henry’s resignation, leading the team to win the Canadian Championship that same year. In 2022, he joined the Columbus Crew, leading them to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2022, also earning the title of MLS Coach of the Year.

Despite these achievements, the Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall this year. With a total of 215 games coached in North America, a position at Celtic would mark Nancy’s first managerial role in Europe.