Wilfried Nancy has claimed he could have led Celtic to the Scottish Premiership title, despite lasting just eight games as manager at Celtic Park.
The Frenchman holds the record for the shortest tenure of any permanent manager in the club’s history, departing with only two wins to his name.
Nancy lost to Hearts, Roma, and St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup Final during his first week in charge, before suffering a further defeat at Dundee United.
A 3-1 home loss to Rangers proved the final straw for the Parkhead board, bringing his disastrous stint at the club to an abrupt end.
Dermot Desmond subsequently called upon Martin O’Neill for a second time during the campaign after the former Columbus Crew boss was dismissed.
The 74-year-old O’Neill stabilised the club and guided Celtic to both the Premiership title and the Scottish Cup, completing a domestic double.
Speaking on RMC’s After Foot, host Gilbert Brisbois joked about Celtic’s triumph, asking Nancy whether he considered himself a Scottish champion.
Nancy laughed in response, saying: “I can see it that way, but I don’t know if other people can see it that way!”
The 48-year-old then reflected on his brief stint in Scotland, revealing that his original mandate from the club’s decision-makers to “modernise” Celtic was quickly abandoned.
He said: “They contacted me for a very specific mandate, but sometimes, football is irrational. So it didn’t last long.”
Nancy elaborated further on the cultural challenges he encountered, saying: “The idea was to modernise the club and to bring something new. But then, they had a culture which is quite ingrained there.”
He described the experience as ultimately a positive one, adding: “I learned a lot about human beings and cultures. So there you have it, but it was a good experience for me.”
Despite the turbulent exit, Nancy pushed back firmly against any suggestion that his time at Celtic should be labelled a failure.
He said: “For me, it wasn’t a failure. It would have been a failure, for example, if I had been fired after six months. But the idea was to put things in place.”
Nancy pointed to the club’s league position during his tenure as evidence of progress, stating: “In terms of performance, it was interesting. We were third at the time, we were still in the running to be champions.”
He acknowledged the pressure environment at Celtic contributed to the difficulties, saying there was “a lot of stress in terms of the pressure at the club, and what has been happening there for years.”
Nancy insisted he would have delivered success with more time, saying: “I actually would’ve liked to have had more time, because I think we would’ve done something good.”
When the title win was raised again in conversation, Nancy maintained his belief, stating plainly: “That’s why I think we could’ve done it.”
Looking ahead, Nancy confirmed his desire to return to management and identified Ligue 1 as his preferred destination for his next role.
He said: “Now, I want to come to Ligue 1, if there is an opportunity. I am not the one who decides, but I am ready.”
About the Author
