Wilfried Nancy leaves Columbus Crew to coach Celtic FC | OneFootball

By MLSsoccer staff

Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy has departed the club to manage Scottish Premiership powerhouse Celtic FC, the teams announced Wednesday.

To complete the move, Celtic have compensated Columbus with an undisclosed fee. Nancy had an active contract with the Crew.

As part of the deal, assistant coach Kwame Ampadu, assistant coach and fitness coach Jules Gueguen, and video performance coach Maxime Chalier will join Nancy in Glasgow. They were also under contract with Columbus.

Nancy leaves Columbus after a hugely successful run, which includes the 2023 MLS Cup title, the 2024 Leagues Cup crown and a trip to the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup final. In 2024, Nancy was named Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year.

"Wilfried helped our club accomplish so much over the past three seasons, and we’ll forever be grateful for his passion and efforts to advance the Crew and Major League Soccer,” said the Haslam, Johnson and Edwards families.

"He led us to our third MLS Cup, first Leagues Cup championship and a Concacaf Champions Cup Final, and most importantly, his leadership further established a culture and commitment to success that will continue to positively impact our club for years to come.

"While we strived to keep Wilfried in Columbus, he was clear that coaching Celtic is an important next step in his professional and personal journey, which we know firsthand will be ‘limitless.’"

Winning legacy

The Frenchman joined the Crew ahead of the 2023 season after leading CF Montréal during the 2021-22 campaigns. He amassed a 71W-33L-32D record in 136 games (all competitions) with Columbus.

This year, the Crew finished seventh in the Eastern Conference (54 points; 14W-8L-12D) before falling to Hell is Real rival 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," said general manager Issa Tall.

"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."

Player development success

Beyond results, Nancy has been widely lauded for the attractive style of play he employed with Columbus.

During Nancy’s tenure, Max Arfsten (USA), Mohamed Farsi (Algeria), Steven Moreira (Cape Verde), Aidan Morris (USA), Jacen Russell-Rowe (Canada), Patrick Schulte (USA) and Sean Zawadzki (USA) earned their first senior caps with their respective national teams.

Morris parlayed his development into a transfer to EFL Championship side Middlesbrough FC, where he's become a regular contributor. Colombian striker Cucho Hernández experienced his superstar breakout playing under Nancy, eventually earning a club-record move to LaLiga's Real Betis (reported $16 million plus add-ons).

Before joining Columbus, Nancy spent over a decade with Montréal, progressing from their academy to a first-team assistant and then head coach. He replaced Thierry Henry at the Canadian club.