BBC Scotland understands that Wilfried Nancy is on the verge of becoming the new Celtic manager. Discussions between the club and the French head coach of MLS side Columbus Crew are now at an advanced stage.
Celtic have been without a permanent manager since Brendan Rodgers stepped down last month. In the meantime, former boss Martin O’Neill, supported by Shaun Maloney, has taken charge of the last five fixtures. O’Neill has restored some stability domestically with four wins from four in the league, though his side suffered a Europa League defeat to Midtjylland.
Despite their improvement, Celtic remain four points behind league leaders Hearts in the Scottish Premiership, though they still have a game in hand. The team now prepares to face Feyenoord in their fifth Europa League group-stage match on Thursday, having collected four points so far. They also have the Premier Sports Cup final ahead next month, where they will defend their title against St Mirren, whom they narrowly beat 1–0 at the weekend.
Should Nancy be appointed as anticipated, he will step into a club facing notable tensions between leadership and supporters.
Celtic’s AGM was abandoned last week following jeers aimed at Ross Desmond — son of majority shareholder Dermot Desmond — and ongoing chants of “sack the board.” After Saturday’s win in Paisley, O’Neill himself stressed the need for “unity,” acknowledging fans’ frustrations with how the club is being run.
Who is Wilfried Nancy?
Nancy began his playing career in France, including a spell with Toulon, before shifting into coaching in Canada.
He became CF Montreal’s head coach in 2021 after Thierry Henry’s resignation and won the Canadian Championship the same year. In 2022, he took over at Columbus Crew, guiding them to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the following year—earning MLS Coach of the Year honors in the process.
This season, the Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall. Across his time in North America, Nancy has managed 215 games. A move to Celtic would mark his first managerial post in European football.
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