Wilfried Nancy is all set for a December start as the new manager of Celtic.
I understand the 48-year-old French manager, currently in charge of MLS side Columbus Crew, is set to take over the Scottish Premiership champions on December 1st, if not before, depending on the completion of contracts for four members of his backroom staff who are expected to join him in Glasgow over the next seven days.
That means Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney will continue in their interim roles for the matches against Feyenoord in the Europa League and Hibernian at Easter Road in the Scottish Premiership. O’Neill and Maloney have stepped into the short-term role and managed to steady the ship after the chaotic end to Brendan Rodgers’ second stint in charge, which concluded with a 3–1 defeat to Hearts at Tynecastle at the end of October.
It is still unclear whether Maloney will return to his development role within the club or whether a possible promotion could follow his efforts. Many Celtic fans would like to see Martin O’Neill stay in some capacity after producing four wins from five in his second spell in charge, including a 3–1 win over Rangers in the semi-final of the League Cup at the start of November.
Nancy’s arrival is not without its problems, as he is set to take charge of a club whose supporters are calling for the majority owner, Dermot Desmond, and three members of the board to step down from their positions. The continued calls for all four to be removed could be heard clearly during Celtic’s late win over St Mirren. This follows a disrupted AGM, with angry fans showing their displeasure at Ross Desmond’s critical statement about some supporters at the start of the meeting. The AGM was abandoned abruptly and has only exacerbated the division between the club’s board and its fans.
It is still to be revealed what the terms of Nancy’s contract will be, but his first match in charge looks set to be the home game against Dundee on December 3rd, before a showdown with Hearts four days later in Glasgow. The Frenchman will face a difficult task identifying new players for the January transfer window to strengthen a squad lacking flair and firepower in the striking department. However, the more immediate concern for Nancy will be ensuring a smooth handover from O’Neill before facing St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup in mid-December at Hampden.
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