Celtic accelerate move to take Wilfried Nancy from Columbus Crew as new manager

Celtic are to accelerate talks with Wilfried Nancy over the weekend as the Columbus Crew manager edges closer to replacing Brendan Rodgers in Glasgow. Celtic are understood to have informed the Major League Soccer side on Friday of their plans, with any compensation required to coax the Frenchman not regarded as problematic. Nancy is believed to be keen on the switch.

Celtic hope to have Nancy in place by the time they visit St Mirren next weekend, which would bring an end to Martin O’Neill’s caretaker spell. O’Neill was due to meet Celtic’s main shareholder, Dermot Desmond, in London on Friday. The second tenure of Rodgers in Glasgow ended in acrimony in late October, with Desmond taking public aim at the former Liverpool manager.

Nancy was regarded as an outsider when named as a possible Celtic manager at the time of Rodgers’s resignation. However, he fits the desired Celtic profile of an emerging coach who the Scottish champions believe can progress within their system and accept transfer policies. Nancy, who previously managed Montreal, took Columbus Crew to seventh in the MLS Eastern Conference this regular season. The Crew bowed out in round one of the MLS playoffs to Ohio rivals FC Cincinnati.

Kieran McKenna was originally regarded as the favourite for the Celtic job but the club have not approached Ipswich regarding their manager. McKenna has displayed little willingness to leave Portman Road, with his compensation clause and expected wage placing him at the expensive end of Celtic’s scale. Robbie Keane was also under consideration. Bodø/Glimt’s Kjetil Knutsen has regularly been linked with Celtic. Paul Tisdale, Celtic’s head of football operations, instead identified Nancy as his first choice.

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