Wilfried Nancy has been sacked by Celtic after just 32 days in charge.
The former Columbus Crew boss was brought in after Martin O’Neill took interim charge of the Hoops following Brendan Rodgers’ resignation in October, but won just two out of his eight games.
He is the shortest-serving permanent manager in the club’s history having only been appointed on December 3, and leaves the club six points behind Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts.
Nancy’s coaching staff Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen, and Maxime Chalier, have also departed the Scottish giants alongside head of football operations Paul Tisdale in a major shake-up at Celtic Park.
The club have seen widespread protests from fan groups, who most recently gathered outside the 60,000-seater stadium in the wake of their 3-1 derby defeat against Rangers on Saturday.
Nancy’s reign began in disastrous fashion, losing three games in one week to Hearts, AS Roma and then St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final. This was followed by a 2-1 defeat away to Dundee United.
Wilfried Nancy has been sacked by Celtic after just 33 days in charge
The Frenchman eventually got points on the board with a 3-1 victory over Aberdeen and a 4-2 away win at Livingston. But Saturday’s loss to Rangers meant they had surrendered an 11 point lead ahead of their city rivals.
He had tried to implement a unique 3-4-2-1 system which had brought him success overseas in the MLS, tearing up what O’Neill had implemented during his temporary return to Glasgow, where he won seven out of eight.
Though there were green shoots in some of the performances under Nancy, including a blistering first half against Rangers, results fell to the wayside and players never seemed to fully believe in the 48-year-old.
‘Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect,’ the club said in a statement.
‘The Club thanks Wilfried for his efforts and wishes him and his family well for the future.
‘Wilfried’s assistants, Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen, and Maxime Chalier, will also be leaving the club and they take with them our good wishes.
‘The Club can also confirm that Paul Tisdale has left his position as Head of Football Operations. We thank Paul for the contribution he has made in that role.
‘A further update will be provided to supporters as soon as is practical.’
This is a breaking news story. More to follow.
