Columbus Crew’s attempts to keep Wilfried Nancy addressed as Celtic ‘desire’ was clear

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It’s easy to think that Wilfried Nancy was an easy appointment for Celtic.

But in truth, the Frenchman was a man in demand.

Martin O’Neill remained in charge for longer than expected, as Celtic pushed for an agreement with Columbus Crew over compensation and backroom staff.

L’Equipe reported that Rennes, Saint-Étienne and Reims had all also recently approached the 48-year-old, but he felt that the timing was right for Celtic.

And the MLS club have now addressed his departure, admitting their futile attempts at convincing him to stay.

Columbus Crew admit attempts to prevent Wilfried Nancy’s move to Celtic

Part of the Crew’s strategy, clearly, was PR.

Whilst reports of interest from Celtic circulated in the UK, the club maintained the stance that they hadn’t been approached, with reports even claiming that he was planning for next season.

READ MORE: Mark Fotheringham’s outstanding tribute to Callum McGregor after interim Celtic spell

But this was futile, as his move to Glasgow has now been confirmed. The MLS side have been addressing their franchise after the unwanted news.

General Manager Issa Tall said: “Although we wish it was in future years, we recognise 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.”

The club’s ownership group also said: “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.

“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.’’

Classy, and encouraging to Hoops fans…

Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic backroom staff

We’re yet to hear from Celtic on Nancy’s full backroom team, but Columbus have announced three additional figures who will be following him to Glasgow.

Assistant manager Kwame Ampadu, who knows Celtic’s Head of Football Operations Paul Tisdale from their time at Exeter, will assume the same role at Celtic Park.

Fitness coach Jules Gueguen and video performance coach Maxime Chalier will also assume new roles at Celtic.

However, highly-rated 35-year-old coach Yoann Damet has not come with Nancy, despite reportedly being pursued. This could be due to him reportedly being in the frame for the top job at Columbus.