Celtic Set to Appoint Wilfried Nancy As Coach

Celtic are close to appointing Wilfried Nancy, the head coach of Major League Soccer side Columbus Crew, as their new manager.

Talks between the Scottish champions and the French coach have reached an advanced stage, bringing the club closer to ending their search for a permanent leader.

Celtic have been looking for a new manager since Brendan Rodgers resigned last month. In the meantime, former manager Martin O’Neill, supported by Shaun Maloney, has been in charge of the team for the past five games.

O’Neill has performed well domestically, winning all four league matches since his return. However, his team suffered a defeat to Midtjylland in the Europa League.

In the Scottish Premiership, Heart of Midlothian are currently four points clear at the top of the table. Celtic, however, have played one game fewer and could reduce the gap. The team will travel to the Netherlands on Thursday to face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League match, having collected four points so far.

Next month, Celtic will also defend the Premier Sports Cup in the final against St Mirren. They beat St Mirren 1-0 in the league on Saturday.

If Nancy is confirmed as the new manager, he will take over at a time when tensions are high between the club and its supporters. Celtic’s annual general meeting was abandoned last week after shareholders jeered comments made by Ross Desmond, the son of major shareholder Dermot Desmond. Some shareholders also chanted “sack the board”, showing their frustration with the club’s leadership.

Following Saturday’s win in Paisley, O’Neill said Celtic need “some sort of unification” as fans continue to call for changes in how the club is run.

Nancy began his football career in France, playing for clubs including Toulon. He later moved to Canada and shifted into coaching. After Thierry Henry resigned as Montreal’s head coach in 2021, Nancy stepped in and led the team to win the Canadian Championship the same year.

In 2022, he moved to Columbus Crew in the United States. Under his leadership, the Ohio-based club won the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup, a tournament involving teams from Mexico and the U.S. That same year, Nancy was named MLS Coach of the Year. This season, however, the Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall.

Nancy has coached 215 games in North America, and taking the Celtic job would mark his first managerial role in Europe.

Source: BBC Sports