The Wilfried Nancy appointment has not been made by Celtic yet, but pretty much everybody expects it to happen at some point in the near future. Of course, that belief is based on what has been reported in the media so far. Unfortunately, it looks like the situation might not be as advanced as many have suggested though, raising fresh doubts about whether the move will even take place or not.
So, what is the reason behind these fresh doubts which have cropped up? Well, as it turns out, one of the key information in this entire saga appears to be wide of the mark.
News had broken out earlier that Columbus Crew had given Nancy permission to talk to Celtic directly. But now, it looks like that might not be the case after all. In fact, the Hoops have not even made an approach.
That is according to Columbus Crew’s General Manager Issa Tall. As reported by 67 Hail Hail, he said in the latest episode of Inside the Crew:
"I was told that there was a report that said we gave permission to Celtic but in order to get permission, you have to ask. We haven’t had anything from that particular club.
“We’ve never received something official. I’m not saying it’s something that couldn’t come in my mailbox in the next hour, but for now we haven’t heard anything."
Wilfried Nancy to Celtic takes twist nobody saw coming
Of course, this is not a twist in the tale that any of us had expected. All of us had been working under the assumption that permission had been provided by Columbus Crew, based on the information reported by some of the most reliable outlets in the game. But when the team's General Manager denies it, you have to genuinely wonder where we stand in this saga.
We had already predicted that the appointment was not as close as many would like to believe. If it had been, then there was no reason to put out the statement regarding Martin O'Neill and Shaun Maloney continuing in the role until a permanent appointment was made.
This does not mean that the move for Nancy is completely off though. It is very possible that it could still happen and in the very near future. That being said, one has to start wondering how much is accurate and what is not when it comes to this situation.