What Giorgio Chiellini said about new Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy will send shivers down Rangers fans’ spines
Legendary defender Giorgio Chiellini has previously praised new Celtic boss Wilfried Nancy as a “fantastic” manager during their time in the MLS.
Celtic have been closely-linked with Wilfried Nancy over the last month following Brendan Rodgers’ shock resignation in October.
Their strong form under interim boss Martin O’Neill allowed the club to carefully choose the right man for the job, and Nancy prevailed, as a deal to take him from Columbus Crew to Parkhead started to materialise in recent weeks.
Nancy was announced as the new permanent Celtic manager on Wednesday (3 December), signing a two-and-a-half year contract with the Glasgow giants.
He arrives with winning pedigree from his time with Columbus, and the Hoops could be in for a successful few years ahead of rivals Rangers if he is able to transfer such form over to Scottish football.
Chiellini thinks Nancy is a ‘fantastic’ manager
Nancy has been likened to Champions League-winning boss Luis Enrique for the attractive brand of football that he has played in the MLS.
He led Columbus to an MLS Cup triumph in 2023 and Leagues Cup in 2024, while also winning the league’s Coach of the Year award last year too.
His side faced LAFC in the 2023 MLS Cup final, and Italian icon Giorgio Chiellini, who was playing for LA at the time, heaped praise onto the Frenchman prior to the clash.
He said (via La Presse): “[Columbus] has a fantastic [manager] in Nancy. Their style of play is incredible.
“What’s most special is that they’re so effective. They don’t just play a beautiful style of football.”
Rangers fans will be concerned considering Danny Rohl’s lesser managerial record
Nancy has now arrived at Celtic to become the next man to try and lead them to more glory in the Scottish Premiership and European football.
They currently sit second in the league table ahead of his first game in charge against top of the table Hearts, with first place up for grabs if they emerge with a win at Parkhead.
Arch-rivals Rangers, meanwhile, have struggled this season and are two places and nine points behind the Hoops, despite some improved form since Danny Rohl was appointed manager.
The German has done relatively well at Ibrox so far, yet his lack of experience compared to Nancy will surely concern Rangers fans greatly ahead of the seasons to come.
Rangers are only his second club as a manager, after he took charge of Sheffield Wednesday in the English second-tier from October 2023 to July 2025.
Comparatively, Nancy has been managing for nearly five years now and has won three trophies in two different countries after a successful time as CF Montreal boss before Columbus Crew.
It is certainly set to be an interesting battle between the two clubs with each manager at the helm, but Celtic must feel confident that Nancy has what it takes to continue their dominance for the next few years.