Celtic are moving quickly to appoint Wilfried Nancy as their new manager, with talks set to accelerate over the weekend. The Columbus Crew boss has emerged as the leading candidate to succeed Brendan Rodgers, whose second spell in charge ended in late October.
The Scottish champions have informed the MLS club of their intentions, and compensation is not expected to be an issue. Nancy is understood to be keen on the move, with Celtic hoping to have him in place before next weekend’s trip to St Mirren, which would end Martin O’Neill’s brief caretaker tenure.
Nancy, who previously managed CF Montréal, guided Columbus Crew to a seventh-place finish in the MLS Eastern Conference before their playoff exit to FC Cincinnati. His reputation for progressive coaching and player development aligns with Celtic’s long-term strategy and transfer model.
While Kieran McKenna of Ipswich was an early favourite, his high compensation and reluctance to leave have cooled interest. Other names considered included Robbie Keane and Kjetil Knutsen of Bodø/Glimt, but Paul Tisdale, Celtic’s head of football operations, has identified Nancy as his top choice.
