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Wilfried Nancy departs as Celtic boss after eight games in charge

Wilfried Nancy's short reign at Celtic is over
Wilfried Nancy's short reign at Celtic is over

Celtic have sacked manager Wilfried Nancy after just eight games in charge.

The club confirmed the news in a statement this afternoon, following their 3-1 loss at home to Rangers on Saturday.

Also in the statement, the club revealed that head of football operations Paul Tisdale would be departing.

"Celtic Football Club today announces that it has decided to terminate the contract of manager Wilfried Nancy, with immediate effect," the statement read.

"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."

It brings an end to a short but disastrous reign for the Frenchman, who presided over just two wins from eight games.

Nancy was formally hired on 3 December, assuming the role from interim manager Martin O'Neill, who oversaw seven wins from the previous eight games.

The new manager set a club record by losing his first four matches in the role, beginning with a 2-1 defeat to league leaders Hearts and then a 3-0 Europa League loss at home to Roma and a 3-1 League Cup final defeat to St Mirren.

After a 3-1 loss to Dundee United, Nancy did secure his first win with a 3-1 home victory over Aberdeen, which was followed a 4-2 victory away to Livingston after conceding two goals in the opening 10 minutes.

However, back-to-back defeats to Motherwell and Rangers, the latter of which was the trigger for a large protest outside Celtic Park, sealed Nancy's fate.

Celtic, who have won 13 of the past 14 Scottish Premiership titles, are currently six points adrift of league leaders Hearts and are level on points with Rangers, the latter having recovered from a dreadful start to the season following the appointment of Danny Rohl .

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