Columbus Crew’s Issa Tall has added another twist to the Wilfried Nancy saga, insisting that Celtic have not made an official approach for their head coach.
Tall, who is the Crew’s general manager, was speaking on the latest episode of Inside the Crew, and made it clear that despite reports in Scotland and the US claiming talks had begun or that Celtic had been granted permission, nothing has actually landed on their desk.
Some had even gone as far as to say that talks over compensation were unwelcome, with Celtic expected to have to fork out £2m for the coach.
He explained: “I was told there was a report that said we gave permission to Celtic, but in order to get permission, you have to ask. We haven’t had anything from that particular club. We’ve never received something official. I’m not saying it couldn’t come into my mailbox in the next hour, but for now we haven’t heard anything.”
This only deepens the confusion surrounding the managerial search.
Scottish outlets insist that Celtic held discussions with Nancy’s representatives over the weekend and are preparing to escalate things in the coming days. Meanwhile, American reporters claim a deal is expected to happen while Tall himself says the clubs have yet to speak.
It leaves supporters stuck in the middle of contradictory claims, and stuck waiting.
Celtic confirmed on Monday evening that Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney will continue to lead the team on an interim basis, but offered no update on the wider appointment process.
They’ll continue in their post until a new manager is appointed.
The hope now is that Celtic push through the final stages of their search and put an end to the uncertainty.
Fans, players and even interim staff need clarity, and the longer the process drags on, the louder the frustration becomes.
The club needs a permanent manager in place as soon as possible, and ideally before the AGM, to steady the narrative and allow the football to take centre stage again.
