Celtic have dismissed manager Wilfried Nancy following a sharp downturn in results, capped by a 3-1 defeat to Rangers on Saturday that extended his poor run to six losses in eight matches.
Reports on Monday confirmed that the 48-year-old, who signed a two-and-a-half-year deal after completing the Major League Soccer season with Columbus Crew, officially assumed duties on December 4. His appointment followed a successful interim spell under Martin O’Neill, who had guided the team to seven wins from eight games, raising expectations ahead of Nancy’s arrival.
Those hopes quickly faded as Celtic stumbled at the outset of his reign. Nancy became the first manager in the club’s history to lose his opening two matches, before suffering further blows in a 3-1 defeat to St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final and a 2-1 league loss away to Dundee United. The sequence left Celtic on a four-game losing streak for the first time since 1978, when Jock Stein was in charge.
Although the champions briefly steadied with consecutive league victories over Aberdeen and Livingston, defeats at Motherwell and a damaging second-half collapse at home to Rangers ultimately proved decisive.
The club also confirmed the exit of Paul Tisdale as head of football operations. Tisdale, a former Exeter City and Stevenage manager, had been in the role since October 2024.
Nancy arrived in Glasgow with an impressive MLS résumé, having coached Montreal and Columbus Crew, guiding the latter to the MLS Cup in 2023 and success in the Leagues Cup, as well as a second-place league finish. He was named MLS Manager of the Year in 2024, despite Columbus ending last season seventh in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall.
He leaves Celtic with just five wins from his last 20 matches as a coach, as the Scottish champions begin the search for a new manager to steady their campaign.
