GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 05: Wilfried Nancy during a Celtic press conference at the Lennoxtown Training Centre, on December 05, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Wilfried Nancy has no guarantees over Celtic signing a striker on January 1.
Over the last two matches a competent striker could have been looking at back-to-back hat-tricks but against Dundee United and Aberdeen the aggregate score-line was 4-3.
Nancy has walked into the perfect storm, well aware of the task he has taken on.
Paul Tisdale has shown his hand with his takeover of transfer activity over the last two windows.
TISDALE AND NICHOLSON TAG TEAM
Inflicting stars like Shin Yamada, Hayato Inamura, Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha on the Celtic wage bill.
When you add talent identification like that to the negotiating skills of Michael Nicholson you have a recipe for disaster.
Or a six point deficit to Hearts, a League Cup defeat to St Mirren and Champions League exit to Kairat Almaty.
Every Celtic fan knows that the team needs at least two strikers. No effort has been made to replace Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah. Both sold with relish by Nicholson this year as he hits his financial KPI’s.
Rather than demand that the club signs strikers Nancy thinks that his touchy-feely coaching can deliver goals in 2026.
Discussing the failures to score goals, Nancy told the Daily Record:
When a player misses a goal and they think about it after that context. When we train, everybody is good. It’s a way of talking.
Now we have to add this kind of situation. I think that this is repetition but I like to call it like this.
This is repetition without repetition. Because they know how to shoot. They know how to kick the ball.
They know how to control. This is more to create an environment, regarding the way we’re going to train, to help the player to perform and to repeat this kind of action.
But after that, this is more the mental aspect. There are many things that are difficult to coach. This is more about giving confidence and also support and sometimes challenges to the player because this is so complex.
Celtic fans will be thrilled to know that players kick the ball, to shoot. It is also reassuring to know that ‘the ball is the ball’.
2025 has seen Celtic almost fall off the cliff.
Unless proper goals-corers are recruited in January, during the first week rather than the last hours, the trend will continue.
Getting goals out of the current squad was beyond Brendan Rodgers.
It is hard to see how the former Columbus Crew coach can transform Yamada into a cross between Kyogo and Idah on the back of a few sessions at Lennoxtown. January will be pivotal, telling.
From the creators of ‘Managed’ Decline.
Sounds like fckn familiar boardroom shte. We need a striker. Ball winning midfielder and a fckn centre hauf. Same as every window.
There is no way they can let Maeda and Yang go. Surely with Nicholsons interview they know that they need to produce a high quality striker and right winger like next week! As stevie says, a ball winner would be great. I remember the impact Paul Lambert had on the team signed in the winter of 97. Not sure if they can recall Nawrocki but id do that if possible and along with Donavan and Sinsalo could bring a bit of energy and freshness until AJ and Sarrachi back.
It is an absolute mystery why nobody at Celtic has realised that Sinisalo is the best goalkeeper in Scotland and one of the best in GB. Schmeichel is terrible.
Pretty much agreed. Sinisalo being left out after some decent games is just weird as Schmeichel, a great shot-stopper but also a liability with kicks out and decision-making really needs a ‘rest’. I also felt that Nawrocki had something to offer and I’d happily have him back and give him a chance which he didn’t really get. Donovan, a touch raw but he’ll only get better and Saracchi’s proved what he can do. I’m afraid I don’t think Liam Scales is anywhere near what we need. He improved on loan at The Sheep and I think that’s about his level. A striker, and a quality one at that, is crucial and a ball-winning mid in front of the defence would surely help to close the gaps in defence. I hate transfer windows due to PL’s interference and incompetence and I can’t see MN, Lawwell’s glove puppet, getting ANYTHING right. Needs chased.
Anyway, it’s que sera and fingers crossed for January and just hope that Wilfried Nancy comes good at CP.
Meantime I’d like to wish all on here a Merry Christmas and All the Very Best for the New Year and thanks a million to our editor for bringing us top content daily.
Johnny Kenny needs to go out on loan to see what, if any, undiscovered potential is there.
Defensive midfielder needed to anchor and allow McGregor further forward.
Striker a must !, team needs goals and early in the window, what is our budget Michael.
Rivals will spend, do we want to win this title.
We have the money, don’t know we have the acumen.
I can most definitely see them sell maeda, even yang now he might be coming onto a game.
Bernado might dissappear out a back door.
Incoming, I expect a couple of journeyman spfl standard loans
Here we go again! Nancy already been told the usual pish and told to get ready for shite signings if any before they trot out the yearly pish of “we worked 24hrs to get deals done, nobody wanted our money, it’s a difficult window”
Same pish different window.
Its already been discussed that he doesn’t have a perfect grasp of English, it’s a bit childish to rip the piss out of him because of that.
A lot of people are beginning to sound like Keevins, he wants Celtic to fail so badly he continues to make ridiculous predictions more in hope they do rather than based on actual facts, I think some have taken their criticism of the new manager that they also cannot now back down for fear of looking stupid.
I have a feeling the players have just had difficulty adjusting, but there are irrefutable signs that WN is getting through.
Theres no way were winning the league with what we have right now
If the c*nts don’t back him then they’ve set him up to fail and there’s no two ways about it
Then the blame is on them and they should be hunted
The blame is already on them.
Joe we’re going round in circles !!!
Happy Christmas Joe to you and yours
Thanks for all the hard work you have put in over the year , and happy Christmas and happy New Year to all the guys and gals who contribute to the site , we shall overcome !!!
Hail Hail !!!
Editor: Cheers Bertie, this job is rarely a chore. More of the same coming in 2026, independent comment 24/7 with no wish to climb on board the approved fan media circuit.
Less than 11 months to go until the Lawwell free 2026 AGM.
Yes, merry Christmas to Joe and everyone else. Here’s hoping Wilfred and the players can win the next two and tee us up nicely for the 3rd of January. With a good goal scorer the team may catch fire and deliver a wonderful 2026 or it could be a chaotic shambles with a formation resembling the 1 2 7 of the early days of football. It’s all ahead of us for now and I would be delighted to be proved wrong that Wilfred is a waffler!
I appreciate that English is not his first language,
but I have no idea what Nancy is talking about there?
Do the players understand him?
It’s the COVID season all over again. January will be a disaster, we’ll sell Maeda and bring in a loan winger from Millwall. This season is already a write off…Nancy isn’t filling anyone with hope, he’s out of his depth and sinking further every time he opens his mouth.
To paraphrase the great Cantona…………………………………
When ze seagulls follow ze trawler, ze board buys cheap shite and blames ze manager and ze supporters.
I think the boardroom narrative will be ..oh we tried but January is a bad month for transfers ! Nobody wants to go to another club in Winter ! There will be purchases , but don’t expect game or attitude changers …the board have it’s warm blankets and pillows in which to fall into ! I will say it again …what is it about winning and success and silverware this board are sick and tired of achieving? Think of the alternative where once you start to be losers , the contracts and sponsorship and investment all goes elsewhere ? It’s not advanced quantum computing…is it ? The domino effect will be big AL the brute !
That’s some mumble jumble riddles of the highest order for sure…
No wonder the players are confused !!!
We’re just about to find out the real value of Nancy to this board.
No player recruitment no complaints.
The cryptic clues given by TV presenter Ted Rogers on the 3–2–1 quiz show make better sense to me than what Jabberwocky Nancy does.