Wilfried Nancy is more like Ronny Deila than Ange Postecoglou

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The Celtic Star

·11 de novembro de 2025

Wilfried Nancy is more like Ronny Deila than Ange Postecoglou

It has now been just over two weeks since Brendan Rodgers left his role as Celtic manager and the rumours surrounding who will be the next man in the Celtic hot seat have been endless…

Celtic v Club Brugge – UEFA Champions League Nicky Hayen, head coach of Club Brugge pictured during a training session ahead of the UEFA Champions League match between Celtic and Club Brugge on November 26, 2024. Photo Peter De Voecht

We have been linked with exciting prospects like Nicky Hayen and Kjetil Knutsen. We have had managers mentioned who I have had to Google to find out who they are such as Brian Barry-Murphy and Wilfried Nancy. I have even bizarrely seen Steven Gerrard’s name crop up in the betting markets.

Vídeos OneFootball

It really has been a strange couple of weeks.

Head coach Wilfried Nancy of Columbus Crew reacts during the first half of the MLS match against the New York City FC at Yankee Stadium on September 17, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images)

The betting favourite seems to change every other day and today is no different. We now have a strong favourite leading the pack. That man is Wilfried Nancy. Yep, the same guy most of us had to Google to find out who he was.

Whether it be people seeing that his Columbus Crew sides season has just ended after defeat to FC Cincinnati and putting two and two together, or whether there is actually merit in the link I don’t know. He is however the lowest priced candidate according to the betting markets that’s been in place since Celtic’s search for a new manager began, which indicates there must be something in it.

So are you excited at the prospect of Nancy coming to Celtic?

Columbus Crew head coach Wilfried Nancy celebrates with his team following an MLS soccer match against FC Cincinnati at TQL Stadium on July 12, 2025 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Jeff Dean/Getty Images)

I can tell you I’m not. Before I start I want to say this. If it is to be the Frenchman then i will be the first to get behind him and will him to prove me wrong and take Celtic to the next level. I know the vast majority of Celtic fans will be exactly the same. Not being excited by someone doesn’t mean that he won’t be fully backed if he arrives, it just means that some of us think that the club could do better.

So who is Wilfried Nancy?

Wilfried Nancy head coach of the Columbus Crew looks on before the 2025 MLS Cup Playoff match against FC Cincinnati at Lower.com Field on November 02, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

He’s a 48 year old former defender whose playing career consisted of a few appearances for Toulon before playing for a handful of semi professional and amateur teams throughout France before moving to Canada.

Thankfully it’s his management credentials not his playing ones that we are more interested in however. So how has his management career panned out? Well after dabbling with coaching roles in college teams and provincial sides in Quebec, he moved on to coach underage groups for Montreal Impact before finally being promoted to assistant coach of the first team in 2016. After French footballing legend (and part time juggler) Thierry Henry resigned in 2021, Nancy became head coach of the now nearly named CF Montreal.

Nancy would spend almost two years as the CF Montreal head coach, having a decent amount of success including winning the Canadian Championship, reaching the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF Champions League and getting as far as the Conference semi finals.

He would then join Columbus Crew where he achieved even more success. During his time there he won both the MLS cup and the League Cup. He was also named MLS coach of the year in 2024. Anyone with knowledge of football stateside have stated that his teams were known for playing attractive, attacking football, something that is a must if he was to ever get the job at Celtic.

Comparisons with Ange Postecoglou

While many like myself have been far from positive about Nancy getting the Celtic job, others have mentioned Ange Postecoglou as an example of someone who came to Celtic as a relative unknown on these shores and was hugely successful.

I totally understand people using this example but to me the two men’s careers differ vastly. Yes Postecoglou arrived here with most of us having next to no knowledge about him but once we delved deeper all the signs were that Postecoglou had all the credentials needed to succeed at Celtic.

New manager Ange Postecoglou poses for a photo at Celtic Park Glasgow. Photo Jeff Holmes

Ange Postecoglou arrived at Celtic with 25 years of management under his belt, managing countless teams in Australia to great success before continuing that success in Japan. He also had a stint managing in Greece. He managed his country for over four years, a job which came with plenty of scrutiny and pressure to succeed. He was exactly the type of experienced, successful manager we needed, whether we had heard of him or not.

Wilfried Nancy to me is more like another recent Celtic manager, Ronny Delia

Ronny Deila (left) Celtic manager with John Collins his assistant and the trophys at the Scottish Premiership Match between Celtic and Inverness Caley Thistle at Celtic Park on May 24, 2015. (Photo by Jeff Holmes/Getty Images)

In fact Ronny Delia arrived at Celtic regarded as a rookie but actually had more experience in management than Nancy has. He managed Stromsgodset for 6 years, delivering them a Norwegian cup as well as their first league championship in 43 years. That year he won Norwegian coach of the year award. He was praised for his attractive, attacking football. Sound familiar?

Delia won two league titles and a league cup during his time at Celtic and is remembered fondly for his time in Glasgow, however I would say that’s more to do with the fact he seemed a genuinely nice man rather than for his managing abilities.

His years at Celtic were unremarkable to say the least and it was clear that the Celtic job was much too big for him at this stage of his career. In later years he admitted the Celtic job was like a constant exam and led to him having sleeping nights, anxiety and a loss of his personality. This is what worries me will happen to Wilfried Nancy.

Celtic is no run of the mill management job

Listen to anyone who has ever managed Celtic and how they describe it. This is no run of the mill management job. It’s one of the toughest jobs in world football. Just recently Brendan Rodgers was saying that working in the much vaunted English Premier League is a breeze compared to managing Celtic. Is Nancy ready for that?

He’s coming from one of the most laid back leagues in world football. A place where getting to a quarter final or semi final will often been praised. If you lose a big match? You’ll get clapped off and told you’ll get them next time.

It’s a million miles away from the pressure at Celtic.

Darlington Nagbe #6 of the Columbus Crew embraces Wilfried Nancy head coach of the Columbus Crew after the 2025 MLS Cup Playoff match against FC Cincinnati at Lower.com Field on November 02, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio. Columbus Crew won 4-0. (Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)

Personally I think it’s madness to plunge such an inexperienced coach into such a cauldron, especially with the current situation regarding the fans and the board being at loggerheads. Unless he has an incredibly strong personality and broad shoulders, the Celtic job could absolutely crush him.

Any fragility in mindset will be exposed instantly. Will he be able to handle that intense scrutiny even the likes of ultra experienced managers like Rodgers and Postecoglou admitted struggling with? Delia couldn’t and the job ate him up and spat him out again, and he managed us during a period when our biggest rivals weren’t even in the same league.