Saint-Etienne, Reims and Rennes all keen on Wilfried Nancy, L’Equipe reports

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The Celtic Star

·18 November 2025

Saint-Etienne, Reims and Rennes all keen on Wilfried Nancy, L’Equipe reports

Celtic are still on course to conclude the deal to bring Wilfried Nancy in as the club’s new permanent manager to replace Brendan Rodgers and a credible report coming out of France points to that happening towards the end of this week, as we suggested on The Celtic Star today…

BEFORE WE CONTINUE – please note that we have having difficulties displaying photos on The Celtic Star today due to a widespread internet problem across so many websites. The official Celtic FC website is totally down as are several of the Celtic fan media sides, so at least we’re still visible but maybe not looking as good as The Celtic Star usually does.

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And it seems that the prospective new Celtic manager is not without alternatives for a move from the MLS to Europe with three leading clubs in French football all keen on Nancy. These are Saint-Etienne, Reims and Rennes according to a report in leading French outlet L’Equipe. They also describe Nancy’s negotiations with Celtic and those with his current club, MLS side Columbus Crew, as being at a ‘very advanced’ stage.

Columbus Crew bosses are reportedly holding out for around £2m in compensation and it would be most unlike Celtic to fail the chip away at that, with earlier estimates of the compensation package being around half that figure.

They’ll probably end up meeting somewhere in the middle and we could see Wilfried Nancy make his first Celtic Park appearance at the Celtic PLC AGM on Friday before getting a first look at the team at St Mirren on Saturday evening, while sitting in the stand with Martin O’Neill taking care of things in the dugout in his fifth and final match as the Celtic interim manager.

Nothing is certain though so until Nancy signs on the dotted line and Gerry McCulloch sits him down for his ‘welcome to Celtic’ interview we can’t count any chickens. But it’s looking very likely that Wilfried Nancy will be appointed as the next Celtic manager shortly.

Speaking to Celtic TV yesterday from Lennoxtown, Martin O’Neill certainly gave an indication that the appointment could happen over the next few days while also saying he’d be ready to take the team to what is going to be a tough challenge and also a cup final dress rehearsal. There’s a chance that Wilfried Nancy would want to step in and take the team, but that seems unlikely, given he has only ever met Alastair Johnston and he’s currently injured.

So Wilfried Nancy to be appointed this week but not to take charge until after the St Mirren game, which we reckon he will be there to watch.

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