Wilfried Nancy has been in charge at Celtic for just over a week, stepping into a period of significant transition at the club.
This season has brought major change at Celtic Park, most notably following the unexpected exit of Brendan Rodgers. John Kennedy’s departure also marked the end of an era, given his 27-year association with the club, further underlining the scale of upheaval behind the scenes.
Attention has recently turned to the future of long-serving goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods. Woods has spent 17 years at Celtic and is now working under his eighth manager. His reputation within the club remains strong, with both Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel previously praising his work, making speculation about his potential departure surprising to many.
Despite that, none of the coaching staff who originally arrived under Martin O’Neill have remained following Nancy’s appointment — a situation some believed could have helped ease what has been a challenging early transition.
Since Nancy arrived alongside Maxime Chalier and Jules Gueguen, rumours have circulated suggesting Woods could be on his way out. However, the Celtic manager has now moved to dismiss those claims.
Speaking at his press conference ahead of Sunday’s Premier Sports Cup final, Nancy was asked directly about Woods’ future and gave a firm response.
“No, he’s here,” Nancy said.
“He trained with us, he’s committed to what he does, and that’s the most important thing.”
Nancy was also asked to respond to comments made by Evan Ferguson following Celtic’s 3–0 defeat to Roma, remarks that have attracted attention.
The Republic of Ireland striker suggested Celtic were still adapting to managerial and tactical changes, saying there were moments when things worked well and others when players appeared unsure of their roles.
Nancy did not shy away from responding.
“He can say whatever he wants,” the Celtic boss said.
“We played against a good team.
At certain moments we struggled, and it could have been better, of course. My players know what they are meant to do, but the execution wasn’t good at that moment. If that’s how he felt, I have no problem with it.”
Meanwhile, Rodgers’ departure was followed by further backroom exits in late October, with coaches Adam Sadler and Glen Driscoll, along with analyst Jack Lyons, all leaving the club. The trio had previously worked closely with Rodgers during his time at Leicester City.
More recently, Celtic’s head of scouting Jay Lefevre also moved on, joining Swansea City.
In a statement following his exit, Lefevre said he was “incredibly proud” of his work at Celtic and paid tribute to the influence of former manager Ange Postecoglou.
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