Official: Celtic appoint Wilfried Nancy as new head coach

Tom Weber

• 3 Dec 2025 13:09 CST
• 4 min read

News

Celtic have officially announced the appointment of Wilfried Nancy as their new head coach.

The 48-year-old arrives at Parkhead after three largely successful seasons with the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer. Nancy was poached from CF Montreal in late 2022 after leading the perennial Canadian struggles to their best-ever season in MLS.

Nancy won MLS Cup with the Crew in his debut season in Ohio and then followed that up with a Leagues Cup trophy in 2024 and an appearance in the final of the rebranded CONCACAF Champions League, the Champions Cup.

After narrowly missing out twice, Nancy was belatedly named MLS Coach of the Year in 2024, but the 2025 season proved more difficult as several of the Crew's key players suffered injuries. They finished seventh in the Eastern Conference and were knocked out of the playoffs in round one.

Now, Nancy is set for his first senior role in European football, which is something that has appeared inevitable for some time as the Frenchman has undoubtedly been one of the most successful coaches in recent MLS history.

Celtic appoint Nancy

After weeks of rumours, Celtic have finally been able to announce Nancy as their new head coach, replacing Brendan Rodgers and interim boss Martin O'Neill.

The Bhoys had initially wanted to bring in their new head coach during the last international break, but discussions with the Crew were seemingly more difficult than originally anticipated. The MLS franchise were owed compensation as Nancy was still under contract until 2026.

Negotiations with Nancy, on the other hand, did not prove to be a problem. The 48-year-old quickly reached a verbal agreement as he was chomping at the bit to take the Celtic job and finally get a chance to prove himself in Europe.

Celtic are currently four points off Premiership leaders Hearts after a disappointing start to the season. A 3-1 loss to the Edinburgh club earlier in the season culminated in Rodgers' resignation.

Nancy joins Celtic in the middle of a hectic run of fixtures, and with a big January window looming on the horizon. Star forward Daizen Maeda is expected to leave Celtic Park and will have to be replaced. Nancy's first game in charge will be against Hearts on 7 December.

Nancy statement

“I am so happy to be named Celtic Manager, it is a massive honour for myself and my family," Nancy said after his appointment.

“Before I say anything else I want to do one thing - I want to thank the great Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney for all they have done in recent weeks with the team. The job they have done has been fantastic.

"These guys have given so much to the club across so many years and I know our fans, like me, all recognise the brilliant job they have done during this recent period. They have my total respect and my total gratitude. I hope to meet them both very soon and thank them personally.

“Now its up to me to carry on this great work and carry our great club forward and I can’t wait to get going and become part of such a brilliant institution. Celtic is one of the world’s proper football clubs, real atmosphere and heart and soul, real high standards and real demands, which I am ready for.

“I know the history, I know the values of Celtic and I know what is expected of me on this journey. I know what Celtic means to so many people and my No. 1 aim will be simple - to give our fans a strong, exciting, attacking, winning football team they can be so proud of.

“I look forward to seeing all our fans very soon and I hope we can enjoy some great moments together.”

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