Louis Saha has mounted a passionate defence of Wilfried Nancy following his sacking as Celtic manager earlier this month.
The former Manchester United, Fulham and Sunderland forward believes his compatriot was treated unjustly. Nancy endured a torrid spell, losing six of his eight matches at the helm, with defeats against Hearts, Roma, St Mirren, Dundee United and Motherwell.
It was, however, the Glasgow Derby loss to Rangers earlier this month that ultimately sealed the fate of his short-lived reign, which lasted only 33 days.
Even so, Saha has criticised the club’s handling of the former Columbus Crew boss. Speaking with Grosvenor Casinos, he said, “I don’t know all the circumstances around Wilfried Nancy at Celtic, but he seems to be a very dedicated manager, and as a player, he was a very reliable player as well.
“It was really sad to see his time at Celtic come to an end, it’s like coming on at 60 minutes and then being brought off at 80 minutes. It’s horrible.
“You can’t find a more disrespectful scenario, and I think he was disrespected. Having 30 days is just wrong for any manager; it’s not fair, and I didn’t like that at all.”
Elsewhere, out-of-favour FC Lorient striker Mohamed Bamba has encountered another setback at his current club amid reported interest from Celtic this month.
The Ivory Coast forward has found the net only three times this season, with the 24-year-old’s struggles on the pitch worsened by disciplinary problems away from it in recent weeks.
Now, Bamba appears destined for time out through injury, although Lorient head coach Olivier Pantaloni declined to put a timeframe on his return. “Mo suffered a knee injury. He received treatment yesterday,” he said. [Le Telegramme]
“He was feeling better, but we preferred to keep him with the physiotherapist in the gym. We do not have more on his fitness.”