Celtic are moving quickly to appoint Wilfried Nancy as their next manager, with discussions expected to accelerate over the weekend. The Columbus Crew boss has emerged as the leading candidate to replace Brendan Rodgers, whose second spell in charge ended acrimoniously in October.
The Scottish champions informed the MLS club of their intentions on Friday, and any compensation is not expected to be an obstacle. Nancy is believed to be keen on the move, and Celtic hope to have him in place before next weekend’s trip to St Mirren, which would conclude Martin O’Neill’s brief stint as caretaker.
Initially seen as an outsider, Nancy now fits Celtic’s desired profile of a progressive, adaptable coach willing to work within the club’s transfer structure. The Frenchman previously managed Montreal before leading Columbus Crew to a seventh-place finish in the MLS Eastern Conference this season.
Other candidates, including Kieran McKenna, Robbie Keane, and Kjetil Knutsen, had been considered, but head of football operations Paul Tisdale has identified Nancy as his top choice.
