There is a massive spotlight on the Celtic board.
From Celtic bringing in a new manager to the upcoming January transfer window, and needing to enhance an under-performing squad.
It looks as though Wilfried Nancy is going to be the man to take over the reins at Celtic Park and be tasked to possibly overhaul the squad by making good use of the upcoming transfer windows.
But what role will Nancy play in bringing players in? Because, as Scott Allan pointed out, he has been used to a completely different world in the MLS with the Columbus Crew.
The interesting transfer situation facing Wilfried Nancy at Celtic
Speaking on Clyde 1, Allan pointed out that, in the MLS, teams have a designated general manager, who deals with the budget, how many players come in and how many go out, etc.
As a result, Allan stated that he would be ‘very surprised’ if Nancy had previously ‘hand-picked’ players for the Crew, and what would happen if he made a move to Celtic.
Of course, Celtic had an abject 2025 summer transfer window, so whoever replaces Brendan Rodgers they are going to face a wall of noise from quite a lot of unhappy supporters who want things to change.
“It seems as though that’s what they are doing (get Nancy announced by next week),” said Allan.
“They are obviously taking the international break to try and get things moving quickly, as we are hearing. They have now been given permission, and you expect that to move quite quickly.
“I think the interesting thing for me, in terms of how Celtic’s structure is and how they do their transfer business.
“They are getting a guy from the MLS. MLS managers throughout the league work under a general manager, who brings players in. I would be very surprised if he were the sort of manager, based on how the MLS works, that hand-picks players to come and play for his club.
“So, it’s very interesting, that aspect, for me.”
What areas of the pitch do Celtic need to improve in January?
A lot will depend on who leaves. Last winter, Kyogo Furuhashi surprisingly left Celtic, and the club were unable to replace him during such a short space of time.
There is now noise around Daizen Maeda’s future, as he could leave when the January transfer window re-opens. If that happens, he will need to be replaced as soon as possible.
- Right-sided winger, with Yang sold
- An out-and-out striker
- Defensive-minded central midfield player
- Replacement for Maeda?
- A right-sided centre-back, if Jahmai Simpson-Pusey is sent back to Manchester City
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