Celtic are accelerating talks with Wilfried Nancy as they look to appoint the Columbus Crew manager as their new head coach. The club informed the MLS side on Friday of their intention to begin negotiations, with compensation not expected to be an issue.
Nancy, who is reportedly open to the move, could be in place before Celtic’s trip to St Mirren next weekend, ending Martin O’Neill’s brief spell as caretaker. O’Neill met major shareholder Dermot Desmond in London on Friday as the club pushes to finalise the appointment.
Though initially viewed as an outsider, Nancy now fits Celtic’s preferred profile of a progressive coach comfortable working within their transfer structure. The Frenchman previously managed Montreal before guiding Columbus Crew to the MLS playoffs this year.
Former top target Kieran McKenna remains committed to Ipswich Town, while Robbie Keane and Kjetil Knutsen were also considered. Celtic’s head of football operations, Paul Tisdale, is said to have made Nancy his first choice for the job.
