WHATEVER YOU THINK OF WILFRIED NANCY, HISTORY SHOWS HE’S NO “YES MAN”
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- Nov 18, 2025
- 2 min read
Updated: Nov 19, 2025
There has been a persistent concern, and I concede it is a valid one, amongst some of the Celtic support as it has become more and more likely that Wilfried Nancy will become our next manager.
Namely, after the very ugly, very public fall-out between Celtic’s largest individual shareholder (not Celtic’s owner) Dermot Desmond and former manager Brendan Rodgers, fans are worried that the new boss will simply be a “yes man”.
Someone who will dispense with Rodgers’ more combative attitude to getting the resources and the players he wants, and who will instead “do as he’s told, quietly”.
Having read up on his background and indeed watched a number of interviews with the man over the past 48 hours or so, I can say with certainty that Wilfried Nancy is not, never has been, and never will be the type of manager to shut up and do what he’s told by boardroom bureaucrats.
Wilfried Nancy Stood up to Overbearing Boardroom Execs Before, He Can Do it Again
Before heading to his current club, Columbus Crew, Nancy first made a name for himself at Canadian Side CF Montreal. After initially serving as assistant to French footballing legend and scourge of Irish fans the world over, Thierry Henry, Wilfried Nancy assumed the role of manager when Henry left.
He had an immediate impact as the team grew in confidence and stature, adopting a more progressive and fluid style of football.
Like all teams though, Montreal went through a rough patch. After a particularly bruising loss to Sporting Kansas City, the club’s owner Joey Saputo, someone whose demeanor makes Dermot Desmond seem positively charming by comparison, stormed down to the dressing room, demanding to tell the players exactly what he thought of their performance.
Nancy prevented him from doing so. A heated verbal, some allege physical, confrontation followed. But the manager protected his players, and Saputo was sent back to the directors’ box to lick his wounds.
Nancy left at the end of that season, much to the dismay of his players and the fans.
Much like Brendan Rodgers’ recent departure, Montreal’s board released a somewhat uncomplimentary statement announcing Nancy’s move to Columbus Crew.
It was nowhere near as scathing or personal as the infamous Dermot Desmond takedown of Rodgers, but the underlying message was the same. This was a guy who rocked the boat and the egos in the boardroom didn’t appreciate it.
Wilfried Nancy might become a great manager, he might not. But he certainly won’t be pushed around. Not by Dermot Desmond or anyone else for that matter.
The more I read about the man, the more optimistic I am about him coming to Celtic. For all their many faults, when it comes to sourcing managers, the Celtic Board have done pretty well recently, perhaps by luck rather than by design, but the point stands.
