Burnley Pursue Craig Bellamy as New Manager
Burnley have made their first serious move in the search for a new manager, opening talks with the Football Association of Wales over the possibility of appointing Craig Bellamy.
The Championship club are still without a permanent successor to Scott Parker, who left in April after relegation from the Premier League. The vacancy has lingered over Turf Moor all summer. Now it has a clear, high‑profile focus.
Turf Moor turns back to a familiar face
Bellamy, 46, is no stranger to Burnley. He worked at the club as Vincent Kompany’s assistant, part of the staff that helped drive an expansive style and a promotion charge before Kompany left for Bayern Munich and the Clarets’ brief Premier League return unravelled.
His name has carried weight around the club ever since. Those inside Burnley know his intensity, his demands, his refusal to let standards drift. They also know he has already walked away once, choosing to follow Kompany out of the door.
Now Burnley want him back as the main man.
The Press Association reports that an enquiry has been lodged with the FAW, but there is no agreement in place and no deal close. At this stage, it is a conversation, not a conclusion.
A national-team project in full swing
The timing is delicate. Bellamy only took charge of Wales in 2024 and still has two years left on his contract. He has already steered the national side into the World Cup play-offs, only to see their campaign end in March with a penalty shootout defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina in Cardiff.
That loss hurt, but it did not shake his conviction about the job he has. Earlier this month, ahead of a friendly against Ghana, Bellamy spoke with real clarity about his commitment to Wales and the scale of the opportunity in front of him.
“Wales have given me this opportunity and I’m really grateful for that. I’m fully focused on the next two years and being Welsh manager is unique, full stop,” he said.
He went further, underlining how much the role means to him and to those who have worn the shirt.
“To be national team manager – I’m sure plenty of Welsh people and ex-players would give anything to be in this position, and the ones who have been in this position would want to be here again.
“It’s an amazing time and I don’t want to wish that away. And then to have the opportunity of a home nations tournament and going to the Principality Stadium – I can only imagine what the streets (in Cardiff) would be like leading into it.”
Those are not the words of a man itching to jump ship. They are the words of a manager who sees Euro 2028, and a potential home nations tournament, as the defining target of his tenure.
Club pull vs country pride
That is the tension at the heart of Burnley’s move.
On one side, a Championship club with Premier League infrastructure, a fanbase used to top-flight football and a squad that expects to challenge again. On the other, a national team job that Bellamy has openly described as “unique” and “amazing”, and a qualifying campaign that will shape his legacy in Welsh football.
Burnley can offer the day-to-day rhythm of club management, the transfer market, the grind of a 46-game league season and the chance to rebuild a relegated side in his image. Wales offer fewer games, but a bigger stage when they come, and the lure of leading his country into a major tournament on home soil.
For now, the situation is clear: Burnley have made contact, Wales hold his contract, and Bellamy has publicly nailed his colours to the national mast.
The next move is his.
