Wilfried Nancy has emerged as the frontrunner for the vacancy at Lorient in Ligue 1.
Five months on from being sacked by Celtic, he has publicly said that he is ready for a new project, and this could be now arriving in the French top-flight.
Will Still was initially the favourite for the role, but he has now snubbed at the last minute in favour of AJ Auxerre.
This has seemingly opened the door for Nancy, who has the advantage over his closest competitor to land the job.
What has Wilfried Nancy’s Celtic tenure done to your expectations for the Hoops’ next appointment?
Wilfried Nancy holds discussions with Lorient
According to L’Equipe, Nancy has held discussions with Lorient, who favour his appointment due to the fact that he is a free agent.
On Thursday, he met with ex-Arsenal defender Lorient Koscielny, the sporting director of the French side.
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Patrick Videira is also of interest after back-to-back promotions from the third tier to the top-flight with Le Mans, but is difficult to get away from his club.
As well as Still joining Auxerre, fellow Lorient target Stephane Gilli has also agreed a move elsewhere, and is set to be named manager of Angers SCO.
Things have seemingly fallen for Nancy to make his managerial return.
Promoted straight back up to the top-flight after spending the previous season in Ligue 2, Lorient finished this campaign in ninth.
They are part of the Black Knight multi-club network, owned by American billionaire Bill Foley, which also owns Bournemouth and previously had a share of Hibs.
Foley had explored buying Celtic prior to moving onto Hibs, reports have said. Pantaloni claimed that he felt “distrust” from the owners due to “conditions” in his role, he said after announcing his departure.
Nancy had never managed in Europe prior to coming to Celtic Park. In Columbus, he had established a reputation for winning trophies with a fluid, possession-based brand of football.
However, it quickly became evident that his lack of tactical flexibility made him a hugely erroneous choice to take the place of Martin O’Neill after the sudden resignation of Brendan Rodgers.
Sum up Wilfried Nancy’s 33 days at Celtic in one word…
Wilfried Nancy on his time at Celtic
Nancy recently said of Celtic on French radio show After Foot: “They contacted me for a very specific mandate, but sometimes, football is irrational. So it didn’t last long.
“The idea was to modernise the club and to bring something new. But then, they had a culture which is quite ingrained there.
“So that was an experience for me. I learned a lot about human beings and cultures. So there you have it, but it was a good experience for me.
“Now, the idea is to wait for the next project.”
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