There’s been an update regarding two Columbus Crew players who have been linked with moves across the pond to Celtic, with an executive at the MLS side issuing a stark warning to any potential suitors.
It’s natural that Nancy would want to bring some familiar faces with him that weren’t just members of his backroom team.
The Hoops squad are in the very early stages of adapting to the intricacies of his style of play. Perhaps the Frenchman sees it as an opportunity to bring in players he knows well to smoothen the building phase and strengthen the squad.
Columbus Crew, however, aren’t going to budge on one specific player that easily, but there could be a glimmer of hope regarding another.
Wessam Abou Ali, a prolific striker under Nancy’s successful reign, has been linked with a move to the Hoops.
And with the current squad in need of quality up top, he could be the next man to lead the line. Though Crew are standing firm on Ali’s future.
Issa Tall, General Manager of the American club, said there has been no direct contact from Celtic regarding any of their players.
Via the Daily Record, he also spoke about Ali directly:
“Wessam was promised — and its something that he quite often refers to is that I didn’t lie to him. Meaning, he was promised one of the best clubs in MLS.
“He was promised amazing facilities and amazing people and an amazing city. And he kept on saying, ‘You are so right. I love it here. I love the people.’ And he was also promised a certain style of play, of us being dominant on the ball and being very proactive, and that won’t change. So, it doesn’t change anything to Wessam.
“Wessam did not sign because we had Wilfried Nancy. He didn’t know who Wilfried was. So, Wessam came for the Columbus Crew and he needs to stay because it’s the Columbus Crew.”
“I never dreamed of going to the United States to play football. But I think it can be an important step towards gaining more visibility than in Ligue 2. There are more and more gateways to Europe. My coach (Wilfried Nancy) has just joined Celtic Glasgow, which is still a big European club.
“It shows that the door is open, and I’m not saying no to a return later on. But for now, I’m eager to see how things go for me here over the next few seasons.”
The January transfer window will be an interesting one to say the least. If Nancy is backed, will he raid not just Columbus Crew, but other MLS sides?
