Celtic’s search for a new manager has begun abruptly.
Most expected Brendan Rodgers to depart at the end of the season – few anticipated his sudden resignation on Monday.
Rodgers’ decision to depart paved the way for Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney to take interim charge, but the former has been clear that he sees this as a short-term move.
Dermot Desmond’s scathing attack on Rodgers hasn’t helped matters, and Rodgers is preparing to respond to the statement.
But who is going to replace him? There are some familiar names in the rumour mill – but one lesser-known candidate could be the perfect move for Celtic.
Wilfried Nancy, the right choice to replace Brendan Rodgers?
Celtic fans often bemoan a lack of forward-thinking at the club, both in terms of playing and non-playing appointments.
But after Eddie Howe pulled out of his appointment in 2021, they pulled through with the masterstroke appointment of Ange Postecoglou. Even a broken clock is right twice a day.
READ MORE: Martin O’Neill’s hilarious Shaun Maloney dig at Celtic unveiling leaves the room in stitches
Postecoglou brought a radically different football approach and a charismatic personality which captivated players and fans alike. To promise the same from Nancy would be naïve – but we must look at the parallels.
Postecoglou won trophies against the odds outside of Europe. Nancy did the same. Postecoglou has worked with young players and transformed their careers. Nancy has done the same.
After assisting Thierry Henry at CF Montreal, where he worked with Alistair Johnston, he replaced him in the hotseat before moving to Columbus Crew, where he became the club’s greatest ever manager.
“What I’ve learned is you have to be courageous,” Nancy said last year. “So for me, I like when we try things. I like when we are proactive. I like when we are the protagonist.”
In his first year, he guided Columbus to a widely unexpected MLS play-off win after finishing third in the regular season. Like most American sports, the MLS is divided between a regular league table and decisive end-of-season play-offs.
He finished third in the table in his first season, then second last year, behind only Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami. More notably in 2024, he won the Leagues Cup, the biggest club competition in CONCACAF.
And he achieved all of this with a distinctive 3-5-2 system with a unique emphasis on fluidity.
“This [our style] is a mix between position and relation”, he told the Extratime podcast.
“Yes, in the past I was more a ‘positional play’ coach. Now, I am more in-between. So yes, we like to exploit the weak side, but I need only one guy on the weak side.
“And where the ball is, I need a lot of density. Many players close to each other, to manipulate the opposition and move towards the goal.”
This principle – known in some coaching circles as ‘Relationism’ – would be a far cry from Rodgers’ emphasis on players sticking to their positional structure. A total overhaul.
Would Nancy fit at Celtic?
You might be thinking ‘okay, but why should he come to Celtic?’ However, there are several arguments in his favour. For a start, Nancy has reportedly rejected previous offers from Europe – he is not unfancied.
His multiple trophies prove his ability to win, and he did it in style in a league with 30 clubs. Almost triple the number of clubs in the Scottish Premiership.
With a flat feeling to Celtic at the minute, the 48-year-old could reinvigorate the players and fans with his bold, successful approach.
And with Postecoglou, McKenna and Knutsen all potentially out of Celtic’s reach, this might be the perfect time to get Nancy before it’s too late.
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