The wait is over. Wilfried Nancy has been officially announced as the new manager of Celtic Football Club after weeks of speculation and rumours. It is safe to say that he was not the preferred choice for most of the fans, but they will want him to prove them wrong, now that the appointment has been made official.
Of course, Nancy has a tough job on his hands. He will need to take over from Martin O'Neill, the club icon who arrived as interim manager after Brendan Rodgers quit and went on to win seven of the eight games he was in charge of.
It won't be all on Nancy though. If he is to succeed at Celtic, the club will need to give him the proper backing. This squad is not up to the mark and there will have to be improvements.
Celtic have been backed to make signings from the MLS, a league Nancy will know like the back of his hand, now that the Frenchman has been brought in. As reported by the Daily Record, Neil McGuinness said:
"The MLS is a very good standard and it’s improving every year. There are quality players coming through and they are playing alongside some really top stars. At LAFC we brought in Son Heung-min from Spurs and players can learn from these guys too.
“Regardless of the league players are in, if they are showing the attributes and mentality to play at a higher level, there is always opportunity to find them.
“Celtic have done well in exploring markets outside Europe, with the likes of the Japanese players making huge impressions. But America is definitely another environment they should be looking at."
Celtic tipped to change transfer plan under Wilfried Nancy
Celtic have not signed a ton of players from the MLS in the past. So, if they start doing so, it will be a change in their transfer policy for sure. But then, we have seen that they are capable of adjusting during the Ange Postecoglou era, when they signed plenty of top names from the J-League.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Nancy. He certainly has his job cut out for him. He has already shown a certain level of bravery, taking on this job.
That being said, this is definitely the biggest post of his career and he did not have much to lose by taking it. Even if it does not work out well, just being the Celtic manager should enhance his reputation at the European level.