Wilfried Nancy vowed to bring "exciting" and "winning" football to Celtic after being appointed as their new head coach.

The 48-year-old's move was finally confirmed on Wednesday as Nancy switched MLS football with the Columbus Crew for Scotland's title-winning machine at Celtic Park.
Interim manager Martin O'Neill will oversee his final game in charge at home to Dundee on Wednesday, before Nancy takes over against Hearts for a top-of-the-table clash in his maiden match on Sunday.
Nancy is no stranger to chasing trophies, having won the MLS Cup in 2023 and the Leagues Cup the following year with the Crew, as well as winning the Canadian Championship with Montreal in 2021.
The Frenchman, who signed a two-and-a-half year deal at Celtic, paid thanks to the job done by O'Neill and assistant Shaun Maloney as he set out his vision for the Scottish giants.
"I am so happy to be named Celtic manager, it is a massive honour for myself and my family," Nancy told the club's official media channels.
"Before I say anything else, I want to do one thing – I want to thank the great Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney for all they have done in recent weeks with the team. The job they have done has been fantastic.
"These guys have given so much to the club across so many years and I know our fans, like me, all recognise the brilliant job they have done during this recent period. They have my total respect and my total gratitude. I hope to meet them both very soon and thank them personally.
"Now its up to me to carry on this great work and carry our great club forward and I can’t wait to get going and become part of such a brilliant institution.
"Celtic is one of the world’s proper football clubs, real atmosphere and heart and soul, real high standards and real demands, which I am ready for.
"I know the history, I know the values of Celtic and I know what is expected of me on this journey. I know what Celtic means to so many people, and my No. 1 aim will be simple – to give our fans a strong, exciting, attacking, winning football team they can be so proud of.
"I look forward to seeing all our fans very soon and I hope we can enjoy some great moments together."
A message from our new manager...#BienvenueWilfried | #CelticFC
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 3, 2025
An enticing meeting with Hearts will be followed by the Europa League visit of Roma and the League Cup final against St Mirren the week after.
Nancy's appointment had been all but confirmed by O'Neill, who announced the visit of Dundee would be his final game in charge after temporarily replacing Brendan Rodgers.
The former Crew boss will have to hit the ground running to overcome an impressive Hearts for the Scottish Premiership title, though Celtic's board have put their full faith in him.
"He is a manager with a record which demonstrates the kind of football which we know Celtic supporters love to see," chairman Peter Lawwell said. "We will give Wilfried all our support as we look to once again bring success to our fans.
"I want to express our sincere thanks to Martin, Shaun and our backroom team for all they have done in recent weeks. They have done such a tremendous job in stabilising the team and restoring a real level of confidence, with some fantastic results domestically and in Europe.
"Martin has shown the kind of leadership he was always renowned for and together with Shaun and the others in our backroom team they have given us that level of quality which has been so important to us in recent weeks."
