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Columbus Crew have confirmed the departure of head coach Wilfried Nancy, who has accepted the managerial job at Scottish giants Celtic FC. The move, announced by both clubs on Wednesday, concludes Nancy’s highly successful spell in MLS.
Celtic secured the Frenchman’s services by paying an undisclosed compensation fee, with Nancy still under contract in Columbus. Several key members of his staff, assistants Kwame Ampadu and Jules Gueguen, along with video performance coach Maxime Chalier, will also make the switch to Glasgow, having likewise been under contract with the Crew.
Nancy exits after an era marked by major trophies and historic achievements. His tenure delivered the 2023 MLS Cup, the 2024 Leagues Cup and a run to the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final. He was also named Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year for 2024.
Nancy originally joined Columbus ahead of the 2023 campaign after two seasons in charge of CF Montréal. He departs with a 71-33-32 record across all competitions. This season, the Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference with 54 points (14W-8L-12D) before being eliminated by FC Cincinnati in the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.
“It’s been a pleasure to work with Wilfried for three years as we were able to achieve many great things together during his time at the club," general manager Issa Tall said.
"Although we wish it was in future years, we recognize Wilfried’s desire to test his skillset and philosophies outside of our league. We wish him the best at Celtic, and he’ll always be a significant part of our club’s great history."
Celtic later issued their formal announcement, confirming Nancy has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract and will begin his new role on December 4, 2025. The club highlighted his MLS Cup and Leagues Cup triumphs, as well as his previous Canadian Championship success with Montréal.
Looking ahead to his new adventure, Nancy said: “I am so happy to be named Celtic Manager, it is a massive honour for myself and my family."
“Before I say anything else I want to do one thing, I want to thank the great Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney for all they have done in recent weeks with the team. The job they have done has been fantastic."
"These guys have given so much to the club across so many years and I know our fans, like me, all recognise the brilliant job they have done during this recent period. They have my total respect and my total gratitude. I hope to meet them both very soon and thank them personally."
“Now its up to me to carry on this great work and carry our great club forward and I can’t wait to get going and become part of such a brilliant institution. Celtic is one of the world’s proper football clubs, real atmosphere and heart and soul, real high standards and real demands, which I am ready for."
“I know the history, I know the values of Celtic and I know what is expected of me on this journey. I know what Celtic means to so many people and my No. 1 aim will be simple, to give our fans a strong, exciting, attacking, winning football team they can be so proud of."
“I look forward to seeing all our fans very soon and I hope we can enjoy some great moments together.”
Celtic chairman Peter Lawwell welcomed the appointment, emphasising that Nancy’s coaching philosophy aligns with the club’s identity.
“We are really pleased to welcome Wilfried to Celtic. He is a Manager with a record which demonstrates the kind of football which we know Celtic supporters love to see. We will give Wilfried all our support as we look to once again bring success to our fans."
“I want to express our sincere thanks to Martin, Shaun and our backroom team for all they have done in recent weeks during this interim period. They have done such a tremendous job in stabilising the team and restoring a real level of confidence, with some fantastic results domestically and in Europe."
“Martin has shown the kind of leadership he was always renowned for and together with Shaun and the others in our backroom team they have given us that level of quality which has been so important to us in recent weeks. Everyone at the club offers our appreciation for the job they have done.”
Chief executive Michael Nicholson echoed those sentiments, noting that Nancy had long been on the club’s radar.
“We have been aware of Wilfried and his quality of work for some time, he was our number one candidate when we began the process of appointing a new Manager and we are delighted that he as agreed to join the club."
“I know he is hugely excited about this opportunity to be part of Celtic’s future. We will give Wilfried every support to face the challenges ahead, with our aim as always being to deliver the success for the club which our supporters deserve, this season and beyond."
“I also want to thank Martin, Shaun, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus for all they have done in recent weeks. They have shown such high levels of professionalism and commitment in supporting the club in a difficult moment and we will forever be grateful to them for the fantastic contributions they have all made.”
Principal shareholder Dermot Desmond added his endorsement of the appointment.
“In appointing Wilfried to Celtic, we believe we have brought a hugely talented Manager to the club. He is a man who absolutely understands the demands at Celtic, he is a man of real humility but also someone with his own ideas, his own vision and such a personal drive and desire to do well for the club and our supporters."
“Everyone at the club will unite strongly behind Wilfried as we move forward and we will ensure we will give him our unswerving support as we strive to achieve our objectives."
“I want to add my heartfelt thanks to Martin for all he has done in recent weeks. He was the man we hoped could bring us through these last few weeks positively and together with Shaun and our other coaches and our players, they have done a wonderful job."
“I will always hold Martin in such high regard for what he has done for Celtic and for what he is as a man – a man of such professionalism and integrity and someone who undoubtedly will always have the best interests of Celtic in his heart."
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