How Dermot Desmond came to appoint Wilfried Nancy as Celtic boss is now clear, and the detail behind that decision raises serious questions about how it was made.
Celtic’s hierarchy does not often offer insight into how major calls are reached, especially when it comes to managerial appointments.
This time, however, the process has come into focus, and it points to a decision made far quicker than many would expect at a club of this level.
Michael Gannon reveals the key moment came well before Nancy’s official appointment, and how Dermot Desmond made the decision will shock Celtic fans.
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Dermot Desmond’s approach to hiring Wilfried Nancy at Celtic
It has emerged that Desmond spoke directly with Nancy in a 40-minute phone call around a month before he was appointed.
Gannon explained the process in full: “Well, he was persuaded to pick him. He was he was persuaded to think this was the right right guy and he liked what he saw.
“He spoke to him and liked the cut of his jib. Made a 40-minute phone call with him about a month before his appointment and and immediately said to him, ‘I like what I hear. You’re my man’. So, that was that was unfolded.”
That conversation was enough to settle the decision, with no indication of a longer or more detailed process taking place after it.
For a club operating at Celtic’s level, deciding on a manager in that manner places significant weight on a single interaction.
Why Celtic were forced to act after the Nancy appointment
The outcome of that decision did not last, with Nancy sacked with immediate effect after results went against the team.
The turning point came 48 hours after a defeat to Rangers at Parkhead, which led to a visible reaction from supporters.
Hundreds gathered outside the stadium as frustration grew, forcing the club into a swift response at both managerial and structural level.
Celtic were left without an interim manager and confirmed further departures behind the scenes, highlighting how quickly the situation had escalated.
With the process behind the appointment now clear, the focus inevitably returns to how such a significant decision was reached, and why it had to be reversed so publicly.
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