Wilfried Nancy warned one aspect of Celtic management will be 'a real test' as he nears Parkhead appointment
A former Premier League Chief Executive has issued a Hoops-based concern about the MLS man.
As the International break draws to a close, Wilfried Nancy has emerged as the clear front runner for the Celtic Park hot-seat.
The 48-year old has now reached the ‘advanced negotiations’ stage of proceedings with Dermot Desmond and the Celtic board, who have took their time in looking for Brendan Rodgers’ successor. Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney came in over three weeks ago to steady the ship for the time being and have done so in spectacular fashion, winning three out of three domestically.
O’Neill will be the boss on Saturday too for Celtic’s clash with St Mirren, with Nancy’s first game not expected to be any earlier than Hibs away on Sunday, 30th November. If that’s the case, it will be the Columbus Crew boss’ first match on European soil as a manager, which could make a few Celtic fans sceptical about his credentials.
European Football the ‘real test’ at Celtic Park
Former Everton and Aberdeen Chief Executive, Keith Wyness now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs and remains very well-connected within the game. He told Football Insider that the ‘really big question mark’ over Nancy will be how he fares in Europe.
Wyness said: “Martin O’Neill has managed to hold the fort reasonably well. But we saw against FC Midtjylland some of the deficiencies that Celtic still have in terms of matching up in European games these days. Whether Wilfried Nancy could manage in Europe, which is really where Celtic’s success has to come, that’s a really big question mark. While he might be a bright young manager saying the right things in interviews, it’s a real test when you come into it in Glasgow.”
Celtic currently sit 27th in the Europa League table and risk being dumped out of the competition before the knockout stage. The Hoops travel to Rotterdam on Thursday to face Feyenoord, however O’Neill is still likely to be in the dugout for this fixture.
Sufficient stateside silverware
Despite his lack of experience, perhaps Nancy’s success in the MLS can win him over with a few Hoops fans. Since joining ‘The Crew’ in 2022, he already has an MLS Cup and Leagues Cup to his name, as well as the Coach of the Year award last season.
As a relative unknown, natural comparisons are being drawn between Nancy and Ange Postecoglou, who also came to Celtic with no European managerial experience but went onto win five out of six trophies, despite joining while Rangers were in the ascendancy.
Both ‘big Ange’ and Nancy also like their teams to play on the front foot as attacking minded philosophers of the game. Regarding his tactical style, Nancy said: “yes, I want to win, but I want to win in my way – and my way is to have a structure, but also to give the freedom and the creativity to my players, to play with creativity within the structure. For me, this is really important.”