Nancy was appointed on a two-and-a-half-year deal by the Scottish champions on December 3, joining from MLS side Columbus Crew, but has now been dismissed after just 33 days at the Glasgow club.
That means the 48-year-old has had the shortest stint of any permanent manager in the club’s history — previously the eight months of John Barnes in the 1999-00 season —and he was in charge for four days fewer than interim coach Martin O’Neill, whom he succeeded in December.
The Frenchman oversaw league defeats at home to Hearts and away to Dundee United, alongside a three-goal home loss to Roma in the Europa League and a 3-1 defeat by St Mirren in the Scottish League Cup final.
After two wins, against Aberdeen and Livingston, Celtic lost 2-0 to Motherwell on Tuesday before losing his first Old Firm on Saturday. The 3-1 home defeat against Rangers turned out to be his final match in charge.
Full-time.#CELRAN | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/cyeRJGU2wU
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) January 3, 2026
The club have also confirmed the exit of Paul Tisdale, who was head of football operations, alongside Nancy’s staff members Kwame Ampadu, Jules Gueguen, and Maxime Chalier.
Celtic have had a turbulent campaign, with Brendan Rodgers resigning as head coach on October 27 and initially being replaced by O’Neill on an interim basis.
O’Neill, who previously won seven trophies at Celtic as manager between 2000 and 2005, oversaw seven wins from eight games in charge prior to the permanent appointment of Nancy.
Nancy previously enjoyed a successful tenure with Colombus, winning the 2023 MLS Cup and 2024 Leagues Cup and leading the team to the final of the 2024 CONCACAF Champions Cup.
The last Scottish team outside of Celtic and Rangers to win the nation’s top division was Aberdeen, managed by Sir Alex Ferguson, in 1984-85. Hearts currently are six points clear of both Celtic and Rangers, who are level on points and goal difference, at the top of the standings.