GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - DECEMBER 11: Celtic Manager Wilfried Nancy during a UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD6 match between Celtic and AS Roma at Celtic Park, on December 11, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images)
Wilfried Nancy has yet to decide whether the Celtic squad that he inherited needs strengthened.
Clubs around Europe including Hearts and Livingston have already concluded deals, allowing players to arrive in Scotland this week, train with their new team-mates and be available for action on January 3.
Every manager wants to improve their squad during January. Nancy isn’t yet sure.
The Frenchman lost each of his first four matches in charge of Celtic with the squad woefully short on quality and quantity.
A lengthy injury list hasn’t helped but most Celtic fans would agree that every area of the team needs strengthened.
Other than the the two 2024 transfer windows under Brendan Rodgers the Celtic squad has been weakened in every window since January 2022.
LAWWELL AND TISDALE DOUBLE WHAMMY
The combined impact of Mark Lawwell and Paul Tisdale has decimated quality and bloated the wage bill with players nowhere near Celtic standards.
Odin Thiago Holm, Maik Nawrocki and Luis Palma are out on loan with little prospect of their clubs making those moves permanent. That is £10m in transfer fees.
There is another £10m in fees and five year contracts at AFCON in the shape of Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-AngeBalikwisha.
Especially in the striking areas Celtic need instant arrivals with Michael Nicholson selling Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn and Adam Idah without bothering about signing replacements.
Nancy had 37 days between the resignation of Brendan Rodgers and starting at Celtic, after five matches he really should know what the squad is in need of.
Instead the Frenchman seems more interested in finding out about the players as human beings. Those human beings want better quality team-mates so that they can win football matches. They already know that the ball is the ball.
? Good to “validate” work with a win
? “Humble” enough to make adjustments
? “My life has been about challenges”Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy on the challenge of visiting Livingston on Saturday – live on Sky Sports ? pic.twitter.com/2rnpwvAqsI
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 26, 2025
3 minutes 18 seconds
DUNCAN: Have you had time to really think about what January might look like, how you strengthen the squad and how difficult is that when you have games coming so thick and fast
NANCY:
The idea before I came here, we’d been talking about this already because it’s natural for each club, there is a window. Our job is to have a look about the window, all the clubs in the world.
So now, like I said before, my job is to know the players a little bit better and also the human being behind the players. And after that to see what we need and after that and do what we need to do – if we need to..
Nancy’s English is short of being perfect but there is plenty to be concerned about by that answer.
TRANSFER PRIORITY
You don’t give the game away with numbers but you can say ‘I know the areas that we need to strengthen’.
If a striker and right winger aren’t signed in the first week of the window it confirms that Celtic as well as Nancy are content with what they have.
The club has had a year to replace Kyogo. Buying him back, probably on loan seems the most likely solution.
Any competent European based manager would have arrived at Celtic with a list of transfer demands.
Nancy appears to be grateful to be in the job, thanks to Kwame Ampadu being a contact of Tisdale, 13 years ago at Exeter City.
It is becoming clearer and clearer why Rodgers resigned. Celtic don’t even have a competent recruitment set up.
Tisdale was last heard of enjoying a December holiday. Jay Lefevre, the head of scouting left for Swansea City at the start of November.
Celtic can have new signings registered on Thursday, training with new team mates and on the team sheet for Saturday’s Glasgow Derby.
Nancy scares me. His comments show he hasn’t got a clue and has clearly been chosen as a yes man.
There’s the answer the YES man in place enough said.
Joe the sooner Fancy Nancy hits the road the better he might be a nice guy but i have no confidence in him as Celtic manager but no doubt he’s a perfect appointment yes man by our useless board
Editor: I think he would make an exceptional Human Resources or Players Welfare manager. But is never ever a Celtic football manager.
Seems an utterly lovely guy to be fair.
To be honest, I thought BR often spoke in riddles and over used the word ‘that”. But I knew he was capable because he’d proved it, so it didn’t bother me.
But Nancy is making no sense whatsoever and although our performance vs the sheep could’ve lead to double-digit goals his ramblings scare the living shit out of me and he does NOT have the proven ability of BR, MON etc.
He’s looking an awful lot like a Lawwell project and we all know how that generally pans out.
If I prayed, I’d be on my knees right now with the ‘belt and braces’ of fingers crossed behind my back!
We may have to pay the price of a trophy-less season to get rid of the current board and at least one shareholder and his son.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but this idea that Nancy is a yes-man based on the fact that he says he needs to assess his squad doesn’t fit well with me. He’s demonstrated in his previous roles that he’s not a yes man – there are a few clips out there to view.
He will have been having discussions to take the role for a certain length of time (>1 month), and anyone going into a role will be doing due-diligence prior to taking it on. He will know contract situations, who wants to leave, etc already. The club will also have lists of scouted players and availability for him to review, and he will have an idea of who he wants to bring in from his time in the MLS and whether they’re willing to move or not.
The model at Celtic is clearly flawed and deeply frustrating for all of us, but why use this as another stick to beat the new manager in the door just two weeks ago? Stevie Wonder could see our forward line can’t hit a cow’s arse with a barn door and Nancy will therefore want a striker in – if he starts saying that in public it could unsettle players here already low on confidence? The big thing here is that we’re creating a huge number of chances in every match since he’s come in. Compare and contrast that with Rodgers time, even going back to last season. It’s night and day. If someone like Kenny scores a hattrick instead of missing three easy tap-ins, his confidence will soar. If he’s hearing he’s getting replaced by the manager and it’s all over the press, he’ll be riddled with self-doubt?
I’m not a ‘happy-clapper’, but i am pragmatic. The Aberdeen match was the first match where everything came together for the 90 mins, and not just 45 mins against Hearts, Dundee Utd, and even second half against Roma. Another good 90 min performance against Livi today builds confidence going into a really tough match against a fantastic Motherwell team which will seriously test us.
Just an opinion guys, although i appreciate i’m in the minority at the moment.
Best wishes
Lubo1988
Editor: There are red flags all over a manager appointed by Tisdale and Nicholson. Red flags over four defeats in a row. Red flags over a manager concentrating on human beings rather than footballers.
Nancy was appointed to work with the players identified by a bang average Exeter City manager with no experience of his current job.
Celtic are creating lots of chances because other than Schmeichel and Trusty they have nine players attacking- and quickly countered as Aberdeen demonstrated.
Being bolshi with the directors at Montreal is one thing, managing Celtic is a million miles from that, Nancy knows that, he knows his place and won’t rock the boat. The proof will come before January 7, do Celtic sign a competent striker or a Balikwisha/Tounekti type project?
Here’s the thing for me:
The board/Tisdale – underperformed consistently through the years. Not good enough, which appears to be the view shared by the majority of the support. Any new manager being brought in therefore is on a hiding to nothing because of that association unless they brought instant success. If this new Manager was a big name, or Celtic legend, they would arguably have been given more time and leeway.
The red flags regarding the four defeats in a row, again, are valid. However, but for very fine margins those results (arguably not St. Mirren or Roma) would be very different (ifs, buts, etc. i know). The Hearts game for example – we absolutely dominated them in that first half up until the goal, then collapsed. Same more or less against Dundee Utd. Would we as a fan-base be as critical if we were sat on 3/5 wins? Maybe not because of the Cup Final?
Red flag over the appointment – any Manager coming in appointed by those two would be in the same position? They put in MoN and Maloney short-term after Desmond punted Rodgers, guys revered by the support and they ground out a string of results. During these games crucially we got the wins, but again it was fine margins and very late goals in some, yet we created next to no chances in each game. Belief and momentum carried us through them provided by MoN and Maloney man-management. Nancy took his first game a day and a half after landing in the country, and was three games down after a week. His stats are widely skewed by the circumstances of his appointment in my opinion.
The point about the chances – we have always played with overloads before his time. The problem being that we passed it side to side and were afraid to shoot, and crucially couldn’t get past a low-block. Now we are actually creating clear-cut chances. The proof will be in the pudding against Livi today of course, with Martindale anti-football. The goal Aberdeen got when they broke was down to space that opened up in the centre of the park before playing a good ball just out of reach of Trusty. Previously we have conceded something like 6/10 goals from a cross or punt into the box, then haven’t cleared our lines. That’ll come with better mentality and more coherence in the back line after training will it not?
I appreciate we have different opinions on this and it is definitely emotive because you never want to see the Club or Fanbase suffer. New signings in January are a must, but they need to be the right kind as you rightly pointed out. It’s not going to happen on the 31st Dec like Ange’s time – that was clearly an anomaly (and i’m sure had something to do with Dom MacKay too?).
On another note, are there any updates on any of the long-term injuries? AJ and CCV back would transform this team. I’m itching to see Jota in one of the 10 roles too. March sticks in my mind for some reason. I’d actually bring Nawrocki back from loan to bolster the defence in the meantime if that’s an option.
Editor: Football is all about fine margins. Hearts won, Roma won, St Mirren won, Dundee United won, Aberdeen didn’t.
January signings are identified by Tisdale and negotiated by Nicholson.
A line of command of Nicholson, Tisdale, Nancy is leading to only one conclusion. More Yamada, Inamura, Balikwisha, Tounekti, Simpson-Pusey yet some wish to give Nicholson and his mentor/guru Lawwell the benefit of the doubt.
Bonkers.
I’m not giving them the benefit of the doubt in any way shape or form. Nicholson and Tisdale are in position whether we like it or not. That may change in the future, through fan pressure or whatever else, but not just now. To be clear, i want change at the top. It’s not fit for purpose. You are correct we are likely to follow the same patterns over and over until that change happens of course, but no manager coming in changes the boardroom structure, so from my perspective i don’t see the point in ripping Nancy apart too.
Looking at the main title contenders as it stands:
Celtic – we still have the strongest squad in the country. We have CCV, AJ, Jota, Saracchi, Ineacho all out – arguably first-team starters right now. Despite this we are still in the race 6 points behind with a game in hand. Some of these injured players will be back in the coming months to bolster the team.
Hearts – a good cohesive squad, well balanced and playing with momentum (today’s game notwithstanding, now 2-0 down…). They are well coached by McInness. They have no real squad depth outwith the first team though, and a couple of injuries and fatigue should mean they will drop more points.
Motherwell – form team for me playing some fantastic stuff, but squad depth similar to Hearts and susceptible to injury/fatigue to key players.
Rangers – big squad filled with mediocrity. A warning to us not to look for quick fixes in Jan and bring the wrong players in (yet again). Ground out results recently, but similar to some of our matches under MoN getting the results despite not creating much and playing relatively poorly. I think they’ll drop a lot of points soon, starting today at Motherwell and us at CP. They are absolutely going to struggle with a few more injuries.
So to summarise, i’m personally fully behind the manager and can see what he’s trying to do. He’s made some errors already, but i can see enough that makes me optimistic for the future.
The board need to be replaced, root and branch, however that’s not happening anytime soon. I’m not wasting any energy worrying about that until it happens.
I hope and expect to put a few past Livi today and make up the gap to Hearts expected loss to Hibs. I have a strong feeling Motherwell will take points off that lot today too. I could well be eating my words at 1700 today though… so hopefully this comment ages well.
Have to go with lubo on this one. I would expect wilfred to do DD on the squad. Whats at stake really at stake in this window?. I would argue nothing much. The next 2 after that are crucial and by then he fully knows whats what.
Er, em, what’s at stake? “I would argue nothing much”
Well, a league title for starters leading to an easier route in Europe.
You maybe want to re-think that.
Oh, and a Scottish Cup……….
The Boards number one candidate a temu manager ,wouldn’t let this guy anywhere near the transfer market but then again we’ve a board who won’t spend a penny
think myself Desmonds looking for an out ,sell up and use the fans as the ones to blame
It will all come crashing down on the 3rd I think. A throwback to the 90s with celtic throwing everyone forward and easily picked off by a competent counter attacking team or at set pieces. Mutiny will be breaking out in the stands, chants of sack the board. Maybe some flying Mars bars.
If Blind Lemon Jefferson was asked if the current Celtic squad needs strengthening in this upcoming window he would look you right in the eyes and ask ” how’s your cataracts son? “
Sorry, but I’ve still not got a Scooby what Nancy is on about.
If he’s talking to the players like that… it won’t be well received.
Without any real pedigree as a player or manager, he’s already up against it with the players?
Some unbelievable comments, dunno what some people need to see before they accept things aren’t great. Excusing four losses, a record barely equalled in living memory, cool with a manager who still doesn’t have a clue what players he needs, even though we’ve needed said players for a year.
No matter how this pans out , this guy is clearly a Lawell yes man, glad to have a chance to develop a European profile, and not rock the boat. You seriously think it’s ok for this guy to have witnessed the past 5 games, and still not know we need a striker?, something he should have been aware of before he even started in the job.
None so blind as those who will not see, I guess.
Big Big Big week coming up for Nancy Boy…
Sevco scraped by Motherwell today…
Can he !