Celtic return to action this weekend after the international break.
But will Martin O’Neill still be their interim manager? Reports this week have revealed that the Hoops are planning to replace him with Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy.
The Frenchman is an unknown quantity in Europe, but highly-rated in the USA. His pre-existing connections to Paul Tisdale have played a part in his candidacy,
The club are in negotiations with Nancy, and as he is still under contract, the Hoops still have to negotiate a compensation fee with his club once personal terms are agreed.
New updates on the situation have emerged, including when Celtic are aiming to complete the appointment by.
Celtic’s talks with Wilfried Nancy continue
O’Neill has been clear that he does not expect to remain manager permanently.
He has won three of his four games in charge, including a memorable Premier Sports Cup semi-final victory against Rangers.
READ MORE: The biggest difference between Wilfried Nancy and his Celtic predecessors
And according to the Daily Record, talks with Nancy officially began over the weekend after Celtic were granted permission to speak to the 48-year-old.
The report says that he is edging closer to becoming the new manager at Parkhead, and that the club are aiming to complete the appointment by Friday’s Annual General Meeting.
The Celtic manager traditionally participates in the AGM, but this would be a fair bit to ask of Nancy in his first week.
The Hoops also may try to bring some of his backroom staff. Assistant Kwame Ampadu, who previously worked at Exeter, is the source of his links to Tisdale.
Fellow coach Yoann Damet is also mentioned, as Celtic look to rebuild a coaching staff which was decimated by the sudden resignations of Brendan Rodgers and his allies.
Shaun Maloney, Mark Fotheringham and Stephen McManus are the temporary coaching staff, and Nancy is ‘willing’ to keep some of them on board given their experience at Celtic.
Celtic’s manager search
The search for a new boss began abruptly when Rodgers left the club with immediate effect the day after his side lost 3-1 to Hearts at Tynecastle.
With O’Neill placed in immediate temporary charge, Dermot Desmond reportedly reached out to Nancy immediately, agreeing to wait until his MLS season was over.
This happened prematurely when Columbus lost the first round of their play-offs to Ohio rivals FC Cincinnati.
Celtic clearly saw this international break as crucial in their process of hiring a new manager.
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