WILFRIED NANCY will be hoping to connect with Celtic fans like he did with one of the all-time football greats should he seal his move across the pond to succeed Brendan Rodgers.
We told you first how the Columbus Crew boss had emerged as the frontrunner to be Celtic‘s next permanent boss.
The Frenchman is admired by Paul Tisdale, who is leading Celtic’s search, and the Hoops are expected to be granted permission from the MLS club to speak to him.
Despite being 48, Nancy is relatively inexperienced as a manager in the grand scheme.
But in his four years in charge of clubs – CF Montreal and Columbus Crew – Nancy has won three trophies and was named MLS Coach of the Year in 2024.
He replaced Thierry Henry in the dugout in Montreal and even crossed paths with another football legend in the summer last year.
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Nancy recently revealed how he caught up with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola when the English giants trained at Columbus Crew’s stadium during their pre-season camp in the USA.
Brendan Rodgers led Celtic to a shock 4-3 friendly win over Guardiola’s side and Nancy’s Columbus team hammered Aston Villa.
And when Nancy spoke to Guardiola after that huge win, the legendary boss actually asked the Frenchman for some advice.
Nancy told Men in Blazers: “It was amazing. First of all, you have to understand that he broke the ice right away.
“He told me ‘Hey Wilfried, you have to tell me the recipe to beat Aston Villa, because we didn’t do it! We should be doing that.”
Nancy was in awe of the three-time Champions League winning manager and took advantage of the rare opportunity to pick his brains.
He continued: “I said ‘yeah, Pep, come on.’ And after that, it started from there, and it was a great connection. I asked him questions, not about the way he plays, because I can see that. But the management.
“How he deals with players, the fact that you cannot put every player on the pitch. This is difficult to manage. He told me that, ‘yeah, this is football.’
“This is football, but you have to also be convinced that this is the best way to do it – but at the same time, you have to be good with the human beings.
“At certain moments you have to explain, sometimes not, but at the end of the day, this is a culture that you put in place. Which is going to be good for the players to accept, or not, this kind of situation.
“And after that, yes, we talked about tactics a bit. Not a bit, a lot! The way he changed the system and so on, and why he wants to play like that and so on.
“It was amazing. Because at the end of the day, this is not the same level, but this is the same sport, and we coach human beings, and we have the same problems.
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“He was so…. nice. To ask me also ‘Hey, tell me about the league. Tell me how you feel. Tell me about your staff, how you work, and so on.’
“It was not only me talking. And for me, it was amazing. Because this is the type of person that I want to be, and I try to be.”
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