Wilfried Nancy is still right in the mix for the Celtic job, but plenty of people are unsure whether the Columbus Crew boss is ready for a jump like this.
Someone who knows his work better than anyone isn’t having that. NBC reporter Orri Benatar, who’s covered Nancy throughout his MLS career, believes the doubts are off the mark. Speaking to CeltsAreHere, he explained exactly why the Frenchman shouldn’t be underestimated.
Nancy’s rise in MLS has been quick, and he’s transformed both Montreal and Columbus along the way. While opinions in Scotland differ, Benatar is clear that Nancy’s record says far more about him than any debate over league quality.
He said: “The proof is in the pudding. The proof is in his resume. He succeeds everywhere he goes. Yes, he maybe didn’t win anything that significant from an MLS standpoint with Montreal, but he did that with the crew in his first year and in his second year.
“This was technically his worst season in Columbus because they didn’t win a trophy. So the fact that the bar has been set that high, and this is a club that historically the crew has never had a period where it’s every season they’re competing for trophies, which is what the crew has tried to strive for.
“The clubs in MLS, you think about that every year they’re a contender. It’s the Galaxy for many, many years. It was DC United in the early stages. You think of the Seattle Sounders. They’re always a contender every year. You saw them at the Club World Cup in June. So Inter Miami’s trying to do that by signing all the old Barcelona players from 2015.
“So I would say there shouldn’t be a concern. With how short he’s been a manager in MLS, he’s done way more than a lot of other MLS managers have. So I wouldn’t be concerned about that.”
Nancy’s rise is interesting, but it’s still a gamble. He’s done well in MLS and improved the teams he’s managed, but moving from that league to Celtic is a completely different level of pressure. That jump shouldn’t be brushed aside.
Yes, he’s handled league campaigns and knockout games, but MLS is its own world, with its own rules and rhythms. Nothing there mirrors what he’d face in Glasgow, where every result is dissected and expectations never drop.
What he has shown is that he can work through change and keep a side steady, but doing that at Celtic is a far bigger task. The scale, the scrutiny and the demands are all on another level.
Simply put, the signs are promising, but it’s still a big step into the unknown. That’s why some see him as a risk rather than a ready-made fit.
