Celtic must speed up talks with Wilfried Nance at the weekend as… Columbus Crew The manager is closing in on replacing Brendan Rodgers in Glasgow. Celtic are understood to have informed the Major League Soccer side of their plans on Friday, with any compensation needed to persuade the Frenchman not seen as problematic. Nancy is believed to be eager to make the switch.
Celtic hope Nancy will be in place by the time they visit St Mirren next weekend, ending caretaker Martin O'Neill's spell. O'Neill was due to meet Celtic's majority shareholder Dermot Desmond in London on Friday. Rogers' second stay in Glasgow ended in irritation in late October when Desmond publicly targeted the former Liverpool manager.
Nancy was considered an outsider when she was called a possibility Celtic manager at the time of Rogers' resignation. However, he fits the desired profile of a new Celtic manager who the Scottish champions believe can progress within their system and accept the transfer policy. Nancy, who previously managed Montreal, led the Columbus Crew to seventh place in the MLS Eastern Conference this regular season. The team lost in the first round of the MLS playoffs to Ohio rival FC Cincinnati.
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Kieran McKenna was initially considered the favorite for the Celtic job, but the club did not approach Ipswich about their manager. McKenna has shown little desire to leave Portman Road as his compensation clause and expected wages place him at the expensive end of the Celtic scale. Robbie Keane was also considered. Bodø/Glimt's Kjetil Knutsen has been regularly linked with Celtic. Paul Tisdale, Celtic's head of football, instead named Nancy as his first choice.
