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Jeff Carlisle
Celtic FC has officially reached out to the Columbus Crew regarding the potential appointment of Wilfried Nancy as their next manager, according to a source familiar with the details.
The 48-year-old Nancy has reportedly engaged in discussions with Celtic for several weeks. However, until recently, the Scottish champions had yet to make a formal approach to the Crew. That contact has been made, with both parties “working to finalize an agreement that is moving towards Wilfried’s transition to the Scottish Premiership,” the source noted.
There are also ongoing talks concerning which members of Nancy’s coaching staff will accompany him to Glasgow.
Celtic has been without a permanent manager since Brendan Rogers stepped down on October 27 following a challenging start to the season. Since then, Martin O’Neill has been managing the team on an interim basis.
The Crew had previously discussed extending Nancy’s contract, which currently runs through 2026, and making him the highest-paid manager in MLS. However, Nancy opted against this, expressing his desire to seek opportunities overseas.
If the deal with Celtic is finalized, it will mark the end of Nancy’s highly successful three-year stint in Columbus, where he led the team to victory in the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup in 2024.
In recognition of his achievements, Nancy was named MLS Coach of the Year following the latter triumph.
In addition to this accolade, he garnered praise for implementing an attractive, possession-oriented playing style, managing a squad that ranked just below the top third in player salary expenditures in 2025.
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Before his time with the Crew, Nancy had a successful tenure as manager of CF Montréal from 2021 to 2022, where he won the Canadian Championship in 2021.
He took over that position after the unexpected resignation of Thierry Henry and had previously spent a decade with Montreal, progressing from the academy to serving as an assistant coach in 2016. He left Montreal in December 2022 following a disagreement with owner Joey Saputo.
Nancy’s playing career was modest, beginning at fourth-tier Toulon and including stints at several lower league clubs, such as Beaucairois, Raon-l’Étape, Ivry, Noisy-le-Sec, Chatellerault, and Orleans.