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Wilfried Nancy is in advanced talks to become the next Celtic FC head coach. Transfermarkt can confirm a report by the Daily Record that talks with the French-Canadian head coach, Columbus Crew, and Celtic have reached a stage in which a deal is now within reach.
On Thursday, the 48-year-old was unwilling to discuss the rumors linking him to the Celtic job. “I’m not here to talk about myself,” Nancy said as part of an end-of-the-season media availability with the Crew. “I’m here to talk about the team, first of all, and I have nothing to say [about] any kind of rumors.” Behind the scenes, however, talks have been ongoing between Celtic and the French-born Canadian bench boss. Indeed, Celtic chairman Dermot Desmond has been pushing hard to sign Nancy from the Major League Soccer club.
Nancy would replace Brendan Rodgers, who left the club in late October. Rodgers’ departure after a defeat to league leaders Hearts. Under interim manager Martin O’Neill, Celtic have won both their games in the Scottish Premiership and the Scottish Cup, but did lose in the Europa League to Danish side Midtjylland (3-1). Most importantly, the gap to first-placed Hearts remains at seven points with Celtic having one game in hand.
Who is Wilfried Nancy? – “Most talented MLS coach in a generation”
What can Celtic fans expect from Nancy? We asked our Area Manager in North America, Manuel Veth, to find out more. “Wilfried Nancy is perhaps the most talented MLS coach in a generation,” Veth said. “An average player, Nancy came to Canada 20 years ago to work in university soccer in Quebec. From there, he worked his way up the ranks, joining the Montréal academy in 2011 and then becoming the club’s head coach in 2021 after Thierry Henry resigned from the role.” That season, he led Montréal to the Canadian Championship, and then the next year, he finished second in the Eastern Conference in 2022.
While the results were impressive, it wasn’t the type of football that made Nancy stand out in MLS. “Nancy played the sort of football Henry always preached,” Veth said. “It was progressive, aggressive, and tactically sound, which is a rarity in MLS. Most importantly, the players loved him in Montréal. He is, in fact, the last coach to have a good handle on that club. Following the 2022 season, Nancy left as he didn’t feel supported by the powerful Saputo family, who own both Montréal and Serie A side Bologna.”
After leaving Montréal, Nancy joined the Columbus Crew across the border. With the Crew, Nancy would win the MLS Cup in 2023, the Leagues Cup in 2024, and reach the Concacaf Champions Cup final in 2024, averaging 1.8 points per game across 136 games across all competitions. “At first glance, 1.8 points-per-game average isn’t that outstanding, but in a salary cap-based league in which there is lots of parity, the average is actually incredible,” Veth said. “Primarily playing a 3-4-2-1 system, the Crew are also incredible to watch. Nancy is not just a fan of good football, but he also gets his players to buy into the system. He also makes his teams better than the sum of all parts. In many ways, his background in university soccer still shines through. Nancy is a teacher who can transport his message well, making all his players better every single day.”
