Ex-Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy edging closer to managerial return after becoming ‘leading candidate’

Wilfried Nancy is the favourite to take over at Ligue 1 outfit Strasbourg as he looks to return to the dugout after his horrendous spell in charge of Celtic.

The 49-year-old has emerged as the “leading candidate” at the French club after an approach was made.

Reports have suggested that nothing is yet finalised, but the club are chasing a manager who speaks French, and Nancy fits this bill.

Strasbourg, who are owned by BlueCo, are in need of a new man in the dugout after Gary O’Neil left the club to take over at Ipswich Town last month.

Nancy has been out of work since January after he was sacked at Celtic just eight matches into his reign.

The manager only managed to win two games at the Hoops, and a defeat in the Old Firm derby eventually saw him booted out of the club.

Strasbourg eye Wilfried Nancy appointment

If Nancy does go to Strasbourg, it would be a massive move for the manager.

Strasbourg’s connections to Chelsea through BlueCo make it an attractive club for any coach.

This is especially true after Liam Rosenior made the move directly to Stamford Bridge last season before he was sacked.

Therefore, if Onze Mondial’s report is correct and Nancy is close to an appointment, success at the Ligue 1 club could see the manager potentially move to the Premier League if Chelsea repeats this process again.

However, it remains to be seen if Nancy has recovered from his failures at Celtic, in what was a horrendous period for both the club and the manager.

How bad was Nancy at Celtic?

Nancy’s reign at the Hoops has put him down as arguably the club’s worst-ever manager.

After Martin O’Neill steadied the ship in his interim spell, the Frenchman almost blew up all his hard work in just over a month.

Defeats in the Scottish League Cup final, as well as against title rivals Hearts and Rangers, almost saw the club walk away from the campaign trophyless.

His reputation only suffered further when O’Neill returned and managed to lift a domestic double.

However, there is every chance Nancy could end up being a success at Strasbourg if he is appointed in the coming weeks.