Celtic sack Wilfried Nancy after one month following dismal run of form and Old Firm defeat to Rangers, Martin O'Neill returns until end of season
Updated 05/01/2026 at 20:01 GMT
React to this story
Wilfried Nancy's brief tenure at Celtic has come to an end. The Frenchman succeeded Brendan Rodgers as Celtic's permanent manager after club legend Martin O'Neill had steadied the ship as interim boss. The Frenchman was only appointed in early December, but has had his tenure terminated after a torrid run of form. O'Neill has now once again returned to the helm in his place.
‘We can win any game’ – Amorim confident Man Utd on right track ahead of Leeds clash
Video credit: SNTV
Celtic have sacked manager Wilfried Nancy after just one month and eight games in charge following Saturday's Old Firm defeat to Rangers.
The club announced former manager Martin O'Neill will again return to the club to take charge until the end of the season.
The 3-1 loss at Celtic Park was Nancy's sixth defeat in eight matches and left the Scottish champions level on points with their great rivals and six points adrift of league leaders Hearts.
"Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect," said a club statement on Monday.
"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."
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/12/11/image-8bd528fc-50ea-436e-8e06-7d812708ba10-85-2560-1440.jpeg)
It was a stroll in the park for Roma and that hurts - Hart
Video credit: TNT Sports
The Frenchman was appointed as Brendan Rodgers' permanent successor on December 3, and took over the role from interim boss O'Neill, who enjoyed big success in his short stint, with six wins in seven matches.
A hugely damaging 3-1 loss to Rangers was the last straw for Celtic, but Nancy endured several troubling defeats prior to that.
After signing a two-and-a-half year contract on joining from MLS side Columbus Crew, he struggled instantly as he lost 2-1 to league leaders Hearts at Celtic Park in his first match.
A 3-0 defeat against Roma in the UEFA Europa League followed, before a shock 3-1 loss to St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final, and then a 2-1 league reversal to Dundee United.
Nancy finally recorded his first victory with a 3-1 win over Aberdeen, which was followed by a 4-2 win over Livingston.
But a 2-0 loss at Motherwell ramped up the pressure again, before a hugely damaging 3-1 defeat at home to Rangers in the Old Firm derby on Saturday.
- Manchester United sack Head Coach Ruben Amorim after 14 months in charge at Old Trafford
- Who is Gonzalo Garcia? How Kylian Mbappe's 'natural substitute' plans to step up in Frenchman's place
O'Neill had begun to calm the storm after Rodgers resigned, but Nancy had immediately ripped up plans upon taking charge of the time and introduced a new 3-4-3 formation and stuck with it.
He drew ire and comments from supporters online for using a tactics board during his first outing as manager for the club, the defeat to Hearts.
It has been a season of heavy change at Celtic Park, with chairman Peter Lawwell stepping down from his role recently, amid protests from supporters over a perceived poor summer transfer window and then struggles early in the season.
O'Neill returns to steady the ship
It did not take Celtic long to announce a replacement, opting to bring O'Neill back again just hours after the news broke of Nancy's fate.
/origin-imgresizer.tntsports.io/2025/11/05/image-6e5af151-d003-4e6a-8dfe-8fab0875ad11.jpeg)
Martin O'Neill
Image credit: Getty Images
The club has appointed the 73-year-old manager until the end of the season.
"I am really pleased, in fact, very honoured to be asked back to manage the team again and I am looking forward to getting back to work again with the players," O'Neill said.
"I know we would all have hoped for things to have worked out differently under Wilfried and I personally want to wish him good luck with everything he does in the game.
"He is a fine man and I am sure he will go on and achieve success again, I have no doubt of that.
"For me, I've been asked to take this great job on again and my focus will be to try and get us back to winning ways if we can. We will need everyone right behind us.
"We still have a lot to look forward to and a lot to try and achieve, and myself, Shaun and the coaching staff and, of course, the players will be giving everything to achieve all the success we can for the club."
Brian Wilson, Celtic’s interim chairman, added: "By bringing Martin back to the club, we look forward with confidence, giving the team real focus for the challenges ahead. He is a manager the players, staff and supporters know well, with a peerless reputation in football and a deep commitment to Celtic.
"The immediate priority is to get back to winning ways and while today's events do not address every issue, I would appeal for unity within the stadium to create the best possible environment for the manager and team to launch the fight-back."
-
This is a breaking news story. For the latest updates, please refresh the page.
Download the TNT Sports app, available on smartphones and tablets, to get breaking news alerts straight to your device.
Related Topics
Advertisement
Advertisement