Wilfried Nancy Will Take Charge of Celtic This Week - O'Neill

Per the words of interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be leading Celtic for this weekend's Premiership clash versus Heart of Midlothian.

The head coach has been part of advanced negotiations with Parkhead side for nearly seven days and currently seems poised to complete an agreement.

Martin O'Neill has held the role of interim boss for over four weeks ever since Brendan Rodgers resigned, securing six wins out of seven matches, narrowing Hearts' lead of the Scottish Premiership while also steering the club to League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, who once coached Celtic from 2000 to 2005, had already said he thought the visit to Easter Road – a 2-1 victory – was likely to be his final act of his second stint at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he will oversee Celtic for Wednesday's Premiership match with Dundee before Nancy takes over.

"He is the person who will be coming in," stated O'Neill to the radio station. "I assumed my time was up last weekend, but there remains paperwork still to be sorted. The Dundee game is certainly my last match."

A Surreal Spell

"This has been surreal," he added. "It feels like a part in one's life that makes you wonder 'did that really happen?' Am I happy that I've done it? Without a doubt."

If the Hoops defeat their opponents and the Jambos overcome Killie in midweek, the incoming boss could guide his new club to the top of the table with a victory during his first match as manager.

"It's a decent start for Nancy versus Hearts," remarked O'Neill. "A nice introduction. It is going to be a challenging fixture naturally but I wish him well. At least he takes over a side full of self-belief."

That confidence stems from the interim manager's results on the field over the past month or so, where he has lost only once – a three-one defeat away to the Danish side during European competition.

Nevertheless, the ex- Irish manager and his players then bounced back to claim their first away win on the continent since way back in 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 recently.

A Confidence Boost

"We lost to them," O'Neill recalled. "That was a tough game – a couple of weeks before they defeated Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to De Kuip and secure a victory on their patch was excellent. We have given the team a chance, there are three games left to try to qualify, but that Feyenoord game was a restoration of belief."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts on his time as interim boss, O'Neill says it has led to consideration about whether he desires to carry on in management going forward.

"I honestly don't know," he said. "I'll take a wee think about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he continued. "There was a fear of failure – that is an ever-present major worry. I once joked I could do this job equally as badly as a lot of other gaffers."

"I have learned a lot. I have had some excellent young coaches working with me and it has served as a new lease on life for me in many ways, interacting with young people daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

On the subject of whether he will stay with the club in a consultancy role, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager says that is entirely the decision of Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to make," O'Neill said. "He should be given free reign. Should he desire my advice on things, that's fine. If he doesn't, that is perfectly fine at all. It becomes his team the moment he enters the breach."

TalkSport host Jim White concluded by asking by asking O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the final whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Do you mean am I going to cry?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be stupid."