Celtic should be ‘very concerned’ as Wilfried Nancy warned of making ‘wrong decision’
Wilfried Nancy should not be bringing Columbus Crew striker Wessam Abou Ali with him to Celtic in the January transfer window.
That is according to ex-Aberdeen and Everton and Aston Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who states Nancy shouldn’t rush into January signings before he has had a taste of Scottish football.
Nancy was appointed Celtic manager following the resignation of Brendan Rodgers and the interim period of Martin O’Neill.
The Frenchman has never managed outside the MLS, and Celtic’s 2-1 loss to Hearts condemned him to a defeat in his first match in charge of the Glasgow club.
Wilfried Nancy could make immediate ‘wrong decision’
Aberdeen’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Pittodrie between 2000 and 2004, had lengthy spells as the chief of Everton and Aston Villa and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes Nancy needs to wait until the summer transfer window before he decides to bring in players from Columbus Crew.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast, Wyness thinks Nancy could send the wrong message to the Celtic fans if he was to sign Abou Ali in January.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “I think it’s a wrong decision. And I think certainly for the manager coming in, not seeing the game first hand and understanding the skills needed to prescribe a player coming in is not the right sign and the right thing to be doing straight away.
“So I’d be very concerned about that. Certainly in the summer, once he’s had half a season to look at the SPFL and weigh it up, fair enough that it’s his choices. But to try and do it now, I’m afraid it is not good and that’s not a great way to start in my opinion.”
Nancy forced change on Celtic squad vs Hearts
Nancy has already made a drastic change at Celtic, by switching the formation from a four to a three at the back.
Celtic lined up with only left-footed defenders in a back three, and no natural wing-backs, against Hearts, in a move which backfired on Nancy.
The Hoops now find themselves three points behind Hearts in the title race, with Nancy in need of a transfer window to bolster his squad.