Is Wilfried Nancy going to become the new Celtic manager?
Well, it was reported last week that Martin O’Neill and Shaun Maloney will remain in interim charge for Saturday night’s short trip to St Mirren, but for how much longer will that remain the case?
Other reports suggest that the Hoops are close to agreeing a £2m compensation package with Nancy’s current club Columbus Crew, with the aim for the Frenchman to take charge for the first time when the Celts visit Easter Road to take on Hibernian at Easter Road on Sunday 30 November.
Should Nancy swap Ohio for Glasgow, he would have plenty of work to do and numerous issues to solve, but ensuring Daizen Maeda stays in Scotland will no doubt be of great importance.
The latest on Daizen Maeda's future
Back in September, after the transfer window had closed, Maeda revealed that he had requested to leave Celtic this summer.
However, with the club struggling to replace Nicolas Kühn and Adam Idah, who were both sold, the Japan international was informed that he would not be allowed to depart.
Well, potentially as a result of this uncertainty, Maeda has not been at his blistering best so far this season, bagging just four goals to date, having netted 33 times across all competitions last season, four of which came in the Champions League.
After adding to his goal tally against Kilmarnock last time out, the 28-year-old started at left-wing-back as Japan beat Bolivia 3-0 in an international friendly on Tuesday, so could he push for a January move to help increase his chances of being included in Hajime Moriyasu’s World Cup squad?
Well, according to Fabrizio Romano, it is a “possibility” that the forward will be on the move in January, with Brentford, Everton, Leeds and two other Premier League clubs purportedly interested.
Considering that, since netting four minutes into his debut against Hibs in January 2022, Maeda has scored 66 goals in 175 appearances in hoops, he would be a massive loss, but could the incoming boss, Nancy, fill this void by bringing with him a star he knows rather well?
Celtic's potential Maeda replacement
When Ange Postecoglou arrived from Yokohama F. Marinos, he utilised his knowledge of the J League, an undervalued market, to sign gems for a cut-price, bringing in Kyōgo Furuhashi, Reo Hatate and Maeda himself.
Well, with Major League Soccer in a similar position, could Nancy follow this blueprint?
According to a report by the Daily Record, should Nancy arrive, his number one transfer target would be Columbus Crew star Diego Rossi, who has previously hinted that he would like to return to European football.
After beginning his career at Peñarol, Rossi really burst onto the scene at LAFC, scoring 59 goals in 121 appearances for the Black and Gold, picking up the 2020 MLS Golden Boot, form that earned him a £4.5m move to Fenerbahçe.
However, after a pretty underwhelming stint in İstanbul, he returned to Major League Soccer in the summer of 2023, and has taken his game to a whole new level under Nancy in Columbus.
To date, the Uruguayan international has scored 45 goals in 101 appearances for the Crew, bagging 16 MLS goals in 2025, comparing favourably to other players across the league.
Goals
16
13th
Shots
91
13th
Shots on target
40
10th
Goals – xG
+2.6
8th*
Big chances missed
13
23rd
Shot creating actions
94
37th
Progressive carries
106
11th
Touches in box
165
5th
Average rating
7.38
7th**
*minimum 15 goals. **forwards only.
Worth reiterating that MLS is a gigantic league with 30 teams, while 882 players made an appearance in the competition this year, so to be in the top ten or even top 20 for the attacking metrics included is impressive.
His tally of 16 goals is noteworthy, albeit it could’ve been even better had he not missed 13 Opta-defined big chances, something that has also been a tendency of Maeda’s game, so perhaps he would be a ready-made replacement.
According to Football Transfers, Rossi’s estimated market value is around £7m, having increased again in recent months after it plateaued in 2024, following his exploits in, according to Global Football Rankings, the tenth-strongest league in the world, a humongous 23 places above the Scottish Premiership.
Speaking ahead of MLS Cup Final in 2023, Carlos Vela, who was Rossi’s teammate in California, labelled the Uruguayan a “really good finisher”, adding that he’s “fast” and “technically good”, while Bob Bradley, his coach at LAFC, adds that the forward is “deceptive” and “such a good player to have” as part of your attack.
Now 27, in a similar way to Maeda, now may well be the time for Rossi to take the next step in his career, aiming to get into Uruguay’s World Cup squad, having not featured for los Charrúas since June 2023.
Unlike in European leagues, MLS’ primary transfer window is in the winter, something that will change in 2027, meaning January moves are a lot more common.
Thus, with Rossi into the final year of his contract in Columbus, he appears to be the perfect fit for a Celtic side lacking attacking firepower, irrespective of whether Maeda departs or not.
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