Michael Nicholson breaks silence on Wilfried Nancy appointment as Celtic chief gives rare address

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He can speak, after all…

That’s right, Celtic Chief Executive Michael Nicholson has given a rare interview after the confirmation of Wilfried Nancy’s arrival.

Nicholson has faced intense scrutiny this year, for a range of issues – but mainly for issues with communication and performance in the transfer window.

From Brendan Rodgers’ departure to a chaotic Celtic AGM, it’s been a stressful campaign for the board in general, and they will be hoping that Nancy can unite fans in the same way that Martin O’Neill did.

Nicholson and the board have certainly gambled on the Frenchman, and he has now spoken about the decision.

Celtic chief Michael Nicholson breaks silence on Wilfried Nancy

Nicholson’s meetings with the Celtic Fans Collective didn’t lead to the progress in relations that many were hoping for.

It’s hard to see a way back for fan-club relations, but a successful spell for Nancy would be a start.

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Nicholson has revealed details of the club’s manager recruitment process in a new interview with Celtic TV.

He said: “There’s a lot of work to do, and Wilfried was very clear that he wanted to get straight into it. 

“You could sense the excitement at Lennoxtown introducing Wilfried to the staff, and also for Wilfried to have the opportunity to meet with Martin.

“It was a good day, but this is where the work starts.

When we identified Wilfried as our primary candidate, we had to go to work to make sure that we could deliver Wilfried and his staff, the club he was working with at the time clearly were keen to keep a hold of Wilfried.

“So, we were delighted to get through that process and bring him in.

“And once we had achieved that, we wanted to get Wilfried started as quickly as possible.”

Nancy will take charge of the Celts for the first time on Sunday, as league leaders Hearts travel to Celtic Park.