Celtic are moving quickly to appoint Wilfried Nancy as their next manager, with talks set to accelerate over the weekend. The Columbus Crew boss has emerged as the frontrunner to replace Brendan Rodgers, whose second spell in charge ended in October.
Celtic have informed the MLS club of their intentions, and compensation is not expected to be a stumbling block. Nancy, who is reportedly eager to take the job, could be in place before the trip to St Mirren next weekend, ending Martin O’Neill’s brief stint as caretaker.
The 47-year-old Frenchman, who previously managed CF Montréal, guided Columbus Crew to seventh in the MLS Eastern Conference this season before exiting the playoffs to FC Cincinnati.
While Kieran McKenna of Ipswich Town was initially seen as Celtic’s top target, his reluctance to leave and high compensation costs shifted focus to Nancy. Other names considered included Robbie Keane and Kjetil Knutsen of Bodø/Glimt, but Celtic’s head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, has identified Nancy as his preferred choice.
