Wilfried Nancy: New Celtic boss tells players to 'believe in themselves' as he prepares for first game and transfer window
Wilfried Nancy takes charge of Celtic for the first time on Sunday against Hearts, live on Sky Sports; he has joined the Scottish Champions on a two-and-a-half-year deal and takes over from Martin O'Neill, who had stepped in as interim boss following Brendan Rodgers' resignation
Friday 5 December 2025 15:08, UK
New Celtic manager Wilfried Nancy believes he has inherited a "quality team" that should "believe a little bit more in themselves".
The Frenchman takes charge for the first time on Sunday against Scottish Premiership leaders Hearts, live on Sky Sports.
He has the chance to take the Hoops top of the table after replacing interim manager Martin O'Neill, who led them to four straight league wins.
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Victory would take Celtic three points clear with a game in hand before their attention turns to a Europa League home game against Roma on Thursday.
"Quality team, quality players, but they have to believe a little bit more in themselves," the 48-year-old said.
"After that, tactical flexibility. We have players who can play in different positions and for me this is important to have players who are able to play in two positions minimum.
"I want my players to be confident but I want them also to be humble.
"My job also is to challenge them for the best of the team.
"We play against a style of play, we don't play against the name of the team. Roma, the way they play is not the same as Hearts. We know what we have in front of us. We know what we want to do."
The 48-year-old does not have to wait long for his first chance to win silverware, with the League Cup final against St Mirren at Hampden Park on December 14.
He was also quizzed on what he expects from the January transfer window and he suggested there was a "profile that we need".
"Each organisation, the idea is to improve," he added.
"I'm going to have to assess the team. I know them as a team because I've watched many games. Now it's about knowing them as a person. After that we'll see what is the best for the team.
"I like to take my time. I know that I don't have a lot of time.
"It's not a secret I want to play in a certain way. Proactivity, try to put [pressure] on the opposition, try to attack the ball as soon as possible and after that also be disgusting to play against when we defend - because we're going to have moments when we've got to suffer."
Celtic's upcoming fixtures
- Hearts (H) - Scottish Premiership - Sunday - live on Sky Sports
- Roma (H) - Europa League - December 11
- St Mirren (N) - League Cup final - December 14
- Dundee Utd (A) - Scottish Premiership - December 1 - live on Sky Sports
- Aberdeen (H) - Scottish Premiership - December 21
