Chris Sutton downplays ‘distraction’ fears as Wilfried Nancy arrives at Celtic
Wilfried Nancy’s arrival at Celtic comes at a fascinating moment for the club. The Columbus Crew manager had been targeted for several weeks, and his appointment was confirmed just before Martin O’Neill took charge of his farewell match against Dundee on Wednesday.
Initially, Nancy was expected to take over after Sunday’s clash with Hibernian, but O’Neill surprised many when he revealed before that match that the handover wouldn’t happen yet. It added another layer to what has already been a turbulent season — one that has seen Celtic go through three managers before December 4, something few would have imagined back in August.
Despite that upheaval, former Celtic striker Chris Sutton doesn’t believe Nancy’s arrival should unsettle the squad. Speaking to Sky Sports, Sutton dismissed the idea that the timing of the appointment would cause distraction.
“No, not really,” he said. “Everyone has known for a while that Wilfried Nancy was coming in. It was just a matter of finalising everything.”
Nancy now walks into a demanding stretch of fixtures across three competitions. With Celtic having built strong momentum under O’Neill, some have wondered if this change could disrupt the rhythm. Sutton doesn’t see it that way.
“I think most people expected the Dundee match to mark Nancy’s first game, and that Martin O’Neill would guide the team through those three tough away fixtures — which he handled brilliantly,” Sutton said. “But Nancy is in the job now. And he’s taking over a team in far better shape than it was five weeks ago.”
Sutton also believes Nancy will be able to blend his own footballing ideas with the groundwork O’Neill has already laid.
“He’ll have his own philosophy and style of play, of course,” Sutton added. “But he’d be foolish not to seek O’Neill’s advice — especially on how he views this squad at this moment in time.”
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