Celtic have appointed Wilfried Nancy as the club’s new manager on a two-and-a-half year contract.
The 48-year-old joined from MLS Cup and Leagues Cup winning MLS side Columbus Crew to become Brendan Rodgers’ permanent successor after leaving Parkhead for the second time in October.
Nancy’s first game will be against Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts on Sunday (live on Sky Sports). The Frenchman will take over from interim manager Martin O’Neill on Thursday.
This is the first of three important games in his first week as Hoops manager, with Celtic hosting Roma in the Europa League next Thursday before facing St Mirren in the League Cup final at Hampden Park on Sunday.
Sunday, December 7th 2:30pm
Kickoff at 3pm
Nancy, who will be in Glasgow with No. 2 and former Arsenal youth manager Kwame Ampadu, said: “I’m absolutely delighted to have been appointed Celtic manager. It’s a great honor for myself and my family.”
“Before I say anything else, there is one thing I would like to say. I would like to thank the great Martin O’Neill and Sean Maloney for everything they have done for the team over the last few weeks. Their work has been fantastic… I have great respect for them and am truly grateful to them. I hope to meet them both soon and thank them personally.”
“It’s up to me to take over this great job and take a great club forward and I can’t wait to be part of such a great organization. Celtic is one of the right football clubs in the world and I’m ready for a real atmosphere, a real heart and soul, real high standards and real demands.”
“I know Celtic’s history, I know Celtic’s values and I know what is expected of me on this journey. I know what Celtic means to so many people and my number one goal is simple: to give our fans a strong, exciting, attacking and winning football team that they can be proud of.”
Celtic manager Peter Lawwell said of Nancy, “He is a manager with a proven track record of proving the kind of football that Celtic supporters want to see.”
He added: “I would like to say a huge thank you to Martin, Sean and the team behind the scenes for everything they have done over the last few weeks during this interim period. They have done a huge job in stabilizing the team and restoring a real level of confidence. We have had great results domestically and in Europe.”
Why Celtic wanted Nancy
Nancy led the Columbus Crew to seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference last season.
Celtic believe there are many similarities between Nancy and Ange Postecoglou, who left the club to join Tottenham Hotspur in 2023.
The Frenchman was recommended by the club’s head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, who had been following his progress for some time.
Postecoglou won titles in Australia and Japan, and also won the Asian Cup with the Australian national team.
Ange Postecoglou won five trophies in two seasons at Celtic
However, Nancy is younger than Postecoglou and has already won silver awards in the United States and Canada.
Before moving to Glasgow, he won the Canadian Championship during his only season with CF Montreal and helped the Columbus Crew win the MLS Cup and the League’s Cup. He also led the Crew to the CONCACAF Champions Cup Final during his three years in the United States.
His influence was recognized not only with club honors but also with personal honors as he was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2024.
After just four years in charge, Nancy has achieved success and feels Celtic can take the next step in European football.
What can Celtic fans expect?
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MLS expert Tom Bogart assesses Wilfried Nancy’s influence in MLS and tells Celtic fans what to expect from the ‘definitive manager’
“Wilfried Nancy is one of the defining managers of the last five years in Major League Soccer.”
It’s a bold statement, but MLS expert Tom Bogart has no doubts about the quality of Celtic’s new manager.
“His tactical evolution, the way his team plays, their bravery, their bravery, it’s total football that starts from the back,” added the Athletic reporter.
Columbus Crew plays possession-based soccer on the front foot under Nancy
“He prefers to play in a back three, but his outside centre-backs have the freedom to come forward.
“His wingbacks play like wingers. Almost every attacker he’s worked with, whether it’s Montreal or Columbus, is having their best season ever.
“He is a developmental manager who brings out the best in young, prime and senior players and plays an attractive, front-foot, possession-based style of football.”
Sutton: Nancy needs to get serious after O’Neill’s masterclass
Since taking over from Brendan Rodgers, O’Neill has seen the gap with leaders Hearts go from eight points down to just two points with a game in hand.
The Hoops also reached the League Cup final by defeating Rangers and could progress to the next stage of the Europa League with a 3-1 win away at Feyenoord.
Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton told Sky Sports: “Martin took over a team that had low confidence. We had performance issues all season.”
“If he had lost a few games and things were bad, people would have said, ‘He’s not the right guy for the job, he should never have come back.’
“Given my relationship with him, I was worried about his legacy, but I’m really happy for him.”
When asked what O’Neill’s impressive performance meant to Nancy, Sutton added: “Every win will put a lot of pressure on him because everyone expects Wilfried Nancy to join the team and be more confident and give his all.”
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Sky Sports’ Chris Sutton talks about Martin O’Neill’s job at Celtic and Wilfried Nancy’s immediate challenge
“Martin is doing very well so I don’t think it will take long for things to turn around. I think it will be really difficult for him because he has three games a week and very little time to work on the training ground.”
“If he were to play in a back three (which is apparently how he played with the Columbus Crew), I don’t think it would be easy to implement that.”
Celtic’s upcoming fixtures
Hearts (H) – Scottish Premiership – Sunday – Live on Sky Sports Roma (H) – Europa League – 11 December St Mirren (N) – League Cup Final – 14 December Dundee United (A) – Scottish Premiership – 1 December – Live on Sky Sports Aberdeen (H) – Scottish Premiership – 21 December
