Craig Bellamy is set to leave his role as Wales head coach to take charge of newly-relegated Championship club Burnley.Bellamy, 46, is poised to take his first full-time job in club management, replacing Scott Parker who was sacked in April following Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League.Sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to do so publicly, said Steve Cooper and Rob Edwards are among the names in the running to succeed Bellamy as Wales boss.Cooper, the former Swansea City, Nottingham Forest and Leicester City head coach, is out of work after leaving Danish club Brondby at the end of the season. Edwards was dismissed by Wolverhampton Wanderers earlier this month after just seven months in charge, and has previously coached Watford, Luton Town and Middlesbrough.
Bellamy was named Wales coach in July 2024, describing the job as his “ultimate dream”.He suffered disappointment earlier this year when Wales failed to reach the 2026 World Cup, losing a European play-off to Bosnia and Herzegovina on penalties in Cardiff. Afterwards, he insisted he wanted to remain in post, describing it as the “best job in the world”.He was under contract until 2028, which would have included the next European Championships being held across England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland.Bellamy was previously at Turf Moor for two seasons, working as assistant manager to Vincent Kompany. The former Liverpool, Manchester City and West Ham United winger briefly became interim head coach alongside Mike Jackson when Kompany left for Bayern Munich before departing himself shortly afterwards. He was strongly considered for the job when Burnley appointed Scott Parker in 2024.Burnley finished second bottom of the top flight last season, 19 points from safety. Parker’s former assistant Jackson oversaw the final four games of the season.
