Burnley have reportedly made contact with the FAW as they target former assistant coach Craig Bellamy to become their new manager.
Bellamy was part of Vincent Kompany’s backroom staff during his stint at Turf Moor, and now the club are eyeing up a move to make him their newest head coach after the departure of Scott Parker.
After Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League last season, they are now planning to bounce back straight away in the Championship, and they believe that the Welsh manager could be the man to help them achieve their target.
Clarets Ready to Appoint Bellamy
According to Dafydd Pritchard, Wales are now prepared for the departure of Craig Bellamy to Burnley, with the national side already drawing up a list of potential replacements for the 46-year-old.
Some of these replacements include former Swansea City and Nottingham Forest manager Steve Cooper, as well as recently sacked Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Rob Edwards.
Bellamy has been in charge of Wales since July 2024, and although they achieved some success, such as winning their UEFA Nations League B group, they ultimately failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup after a playoff semi-final defeat to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties.
However, his philosophy of football is very similar to what Vincent Kompany employed while he was at Turf Moor, so it is easy to see why they believe Bellamy would be a suitable fit.
A Better Suit for Club Football?
After their failed qualification to the World Cup and a string of poor results in friendlies, many Wales fans would seemingly not be too displeased if Bellamy were to depart for Lancashire.
However, with the importance Bellamy places on possession and passing in his system, it is hard to implement this system with players he only has control over for a couple of weeks, every few months, before they return to their domestic clubs, where they will likely play a very different brand of football.
Therefore, although Burnley fans may be uninspired by the appointment of a manager who is seemingly struggling with the Wales team, his philosophy is likely suited much better to club football, where he is able to have plenty of time to bed in his style with his players.
