GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) – Wilfried Nancy resigned from his job as coach of Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew on Wednesday to take over as manager of Scottish giants Celtic.
The 48-year-old Frenchman coached the Crew for three years, leading them to the MLS Cup and Leagues Cup, and was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2024.
Celtic are defending their Scottish Premiership title and are second, two points behind Hearts, after a slow start to the season.
The team have won the last four top-flight titles and sit 55th overall, the same as Glasgow rivals Rangers.
Nancy described Celtic as “one of the decent football clubs in the world” because of their “real atmosphere and heart and soul, real high standards and real demands and I’m ready to meet them”.
“I know the history of Celtic, I know the values and I know what is expected of me on this journey,” he said. “I know what Celtic means to so many people and my number one goal is simple: to provide a strong, exciting, attacking and winning football team that our fans can be proud of.”
Nancy begins her term on Thursday.
Martin O’Neill has been in temporary charge of the team since Brendan Rodgers left on October 27th.
Dermot Desmond, Celtic’s majority shareholder, said O’Neill had done a “fantastic job” to “get through these last few weeks on a positive note”.
“I will always have high praise for what Martin has done for Celtic and for who he is as a person. He is a man of professionalism and integrity who undoubtedly always has Celtic’s best interests at heart.”
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
