Wilfried Nancy Is Set to Lead for Celtic in the Coming Days - Martin O'Neill

As stated by interim boss Martin O'Neill, Wilfried Nancy is slated to be on the Celtic touchline during Sunday's Premiership fixture versus Hearts.

The head coach has been involved in advanced negotiations with the Parkhead side for almost a week and now appears ready to complete an agreement.

O'Neill has been acting as interim boss for more than a month ever since Brendan Rodgers stepped down, securing six victories out of seven games, reducing Hearts' lead of the league table while also steering the club to League Cup place in the final.

The 73-year-old, a former boss of Celtic between 2000 and 2005, had already said he thought Sunday's trip to Hibernian – which ended in a 2-1 win – would be his final act of his second stint at the helm.

But, O'Neill revealed he is to oversee Celtic for Wednesday's Premiership match against Dundee prior to Wilfried Nancy takes over.

"He is the individual set to be coming in," O'Neill said to TalkSport. "I assumed it was over last weekend, however there's some paperwork still to be sorted. Wednesday will definitely be the end for me."

A Bizarre Experience

"This has been surreal," O'Neill continued. "It's like a chapter in one's life that makes you wonder 'did all of that actually occur?' Am I delighted that I've done it? Most certainly."

Should Celtic defeat Dundee while the Jambos overcome Kilmarnock in midweek, Nancy could lead Celtic to the top of the table with a victory in his debut game in charge.

"That's a decent start for him versus Hearts," O'Neill said. "A good way to start. It will be a tough match of course and I wish him well. At least he inherits a team full of self-belief."

That confidence is a result of the positive run on the field in the last five weeks, a period where he lost only once – a three-one loss at Midtjylland during Europa League.

However, the ex- Irish national team boss along with his squad subsequently managed to claim their first away win on the continent since 2021 by defeating Feyenoord 3-1 last week.

Rebuilding Belief

"We lost to them," O'Neill said. "That proved to be a tough game – a couple of weeks earlier they mauled Nottingham Forest, making it a challenge. To travel to Feyenoord and secure a victory away from home was excellent. We've given the team an opportunity, with three games left to try to qualify, but that victory in Rotterdam was a restoration of belief."

Thoughts on the Future

When asked for his thoughts during his time as caretaker, O'Neill says it has led to thoughts on if he would like to continue in management in the future.

"I genuinely don't know," he admitted. "I'll take a moment to reflect about things following the match on Wednesday."

"It was challenging," he added. "I felt the fear of failing – that is always a big concern. I used to boast that I was capable of doing the job just as poorly as a lot of other managers."

"I've learned a lot. I've got some excellent coaching staff alongside me and it's been a reinvigoration personally in several respects, working with young players daily."

A Potential Advisory Position?

Regarding whether he will stay with the club as an advisor, the ex- Leicester City, Aston Villa and Republic of Ireland manager stated this is completely up to Nancy.

"That is solely for Nancy to make," O'Neill stated. "He must be given full autonomy. Should he desire my opinion on things, that's fine. If not, that is perfectly fine at all. It's very much his squad the moment he enters the breach."

Presenter the interviewer concluded by asking if O'Neill whether he might get emotional when the full-time whistle sounded in the Dundee game.

"Are you asking if I will get tearful?" O'Neill replied. "Don't be stupid."