Wilfried Nancy – “It’d be tough if he left,” Columbus Crew star Max Arfsten

Columbus Crew defender Max Arfsten has admitted that it would be hard to take seeing his manager Wilfried Nancy leave the club to take the Celtic job that was vacated by Brendan Rodgers a few weeks back after his offer to resign was accepted by the Celtic Board…

However Arfsten, who is currently with the USA National team at their training base alongside Celtic’s Auston Trusty, also admitted that he would be happy for Nancy if he is given the chance to manage a massive club like Celtic. And the player, who had played all three years of his time as a pro-under Nancy’s guidance, credits the Frenchman for helping him develop his game to enable him to earn international recognition with the United States.

One bookmaker yesterday stopped taking bets on the Celtic manager’s job after significant bets were placed on the 48 year-old Frenchman being appointed as the next Celtic manager.

After seeing through the sale of Alistair Johnston to Celtic in the January 2022 transfer window, Wilfried Nancy himself left Montreal to take over at Columbus and that’s where he’s been ever since, achieving significant success at his current club. The Frenchman has won MLS Cup, Leagues Cup and has been named MLS Coach of the Year, while taking the Crew to the Concacaf Champions Cup final in 2024.

Arfsten had this to say about just how important Wilfried Nancy has been to his progress in the game, with the report coming from USA outlet Prosoccerwire.

“He’s meant a massive amount in my career,” the 24-year-old told the media on a call from USMNT camp. “I feel like he’s developed me as a player a lot in Columbus, tactically, technically, just understanding the game.

“So I’m always super thankful and appreciative of him. And one thing about him I love is he’s always challenging me no matter where I’m at in my career. He always has something to tell me to help me grow as a player. I can’t say enough good things about him and I’m thankful to have him as my club coach.”

“Obviously it’d be tough if he left just because he’s a good coach, but he has to do what he wants for his career,” Arfsten said.

“If he wants to go to Europe and test himself out there, I feel like you’ve got to respect that. It would definitely be tough for us in Columbus, for sure. But it’s one of those things where at the same time, if he decides to go, then you’ve got to be happy for him, because that’s what he wants to do next.”

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