Celtic Sack Wilfried Nancy After Eight Games as Odds-On Next Manager Revealed

A former Premier League star has emerged as the favourite to replace Wilfried Nancy as Celtic head coach following the Frenchman’s sacking after just eight games in charge.

Nancy arrived from the MLS side, Columbus Crew, with a healthy reputation, but things quickly went wrong upon his arrival in Glasgow.

Saturday’s 3-1 defeat against Rangers at Celtic Park was the final straw for the 48-year-old, who signed a two-and-a-half year contract at Celtic on December 4, and he has now been relieved of his duties after overseeing a run of six defeats in just eight matches, leaving the Scottish champions six points behind league leaders Hearts.

He also achieved the unwanted record of being the first Celtic head coach to lose his first two games in charge – against St Mirren in the Premier Sports Cup final and 2-1 against Dundee United.

Head of Football Operations at the club, Paul Tisdale, has also left the position.

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Wilfried Nancy has been sacked by Celtic (Credit:Getty)

Celtic released a 102-word statement on their website on Monday (January 5) afternoon.

“Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect,” read the 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.”

Whoever manages Celtic next will be the fourth person to do so this season, with Brendan Rodgers losing his job in October before Martin O’Neill took charge on an interim basis ahead of Nancy's arrival.

Next permanent Celtic head coach odds

Well, former Celtic and Wigan Athletic winger Shaun Maloney is the frontrunner according to Betfair and returns odds of 13/8.

Maloney previously served as O’Neill’s assistant earlier this season and has coached Wigan and Hibernian at senior level.

The Malaysia-born coach lasted just 19 games during his time at Hibernian with a points-per-match ratio of 1.26.

However, he enjoyed 115 matches in charge of Wigan and averaged 1.41 points per match. The 42-year-old also acted as Roberto Martinez’s assistant for the Belgium national team between 2018 and 2021.

Alongside playing for Celtic 209 times, the ex-Scotland international has previously coached the Hoops’ reserves and Under-18s side.

Shaun Maloney is the favourite to take over from Wilfried Nancy (Credit:Getty)

Second favourite is O'Neill, who is priced at 10/3, while another former Celtic boss, Ange Postecoglou, returns odds of 4/1.

List of potential candidates in full:

Shaun Maloney 13/8

Martin O’Neill 10/3

Ange Postecoglou 4/1

Kieran McKenna 11/2

Kjetil Knutsen 15/2

Brian Barry-Murphy 17/2

Robbie Keane 11/1

Scott Brown 11/1

Ole Gunnar Solskjær 11/1

Jens Berthel Askou 11/1

Lee Carsley 12/1

Darren Fletcher 12/1

Craig Bellamy 12/1

Tony Mowbray 14/1

Roberto Martinez 14/1

Damien Duff 14/1

Neil Lennon 14/1

Frank Lampard 14/1

John O’Shea 16/1

Wayne Rooney 22/1

David Gray 22/1

Enzo Maresca 25/1

Roy Keane 33/1

*Odds correct as of 15:00 on Monday 5 January.