Celtic have ended their association with manager Wilfried Nancy after a poor run of results, capped by Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Rangers, which was his sixth defeat in only eight matches in charge.
BBC Sport reported on Monday that the 48-year-old had agreed to a two-and-a-half-year deal with the Scottish champions after wrapping up the Major League Soccer season with Columbus Crew and formally assumed duties on December 4.
His tenure, however, quickly unravelled following an impressive spell under interim boss Martin O’Neill, who recorded seven wins from eight games.
Nancy made unwanted history by becoming the first Celtic manager to lose his first two games in charge. Further blows followed, including a 3-1 defeat to St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final and a 2-1 loss away to Dundee United. The run saw Celtic lose four games in a row for the first time since Jock Stein’s side endured a similar sequence in 1978.
Although the team briefly steadied with consecutive league victories over Aberdeen and Livingston, defeats against Motherwell and a second-half capitulation at home to Rangers ultimately ended Nancy’s time at the club.
Celtic also announced the departure of Paul Tisdale as head of football operations. Tisdale, who previously managed Exeter City and Stevenage, had been in the role since October 2024.
Before joining Celtic, Nancy coached MLS teams Montreal and Columbus Crew, guiding Columbus to the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup, as well as a second-place league finish. He was named MLS Manager of the Year in 2024, despite his team finishing seventh in the Eastern Conference and 12th overall last season.
Nancy leaves Celtic having recorded just five wins in his last 20 matches as a coach, with the Scottish champions now set to search for a new manager.