Bellamy had looked poised to take his first job in club management with the newly-relegated Championship club. Dan Istitene / Getty ImagesJune 25, 2026 8:31 am EDT Updated Craig Bellamy’s proposed move to become Burnley’s new manager has collapsed.As reported by The Athletic on Wednesday, the 46-year-old had been set to leave his position in charge of the Wales national team to join Burnley, where he had been assistant manager to Vincent Kompany for two seasons between 2022 and 2024.But sources with knowledge of the situation, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to do so publicly, told The Athletic that the potential move has broken down as it stands.A Burnley source said the issue was caused at the FAW end, while a source close to the FAW suggested that the move had collapsed over Bellamy’s personal terms with the newly-relegated Championship club.
As of late Wednesday evening, the move was advancing with compensation agreed between Burnley and Wales.Bellamy is under contract with Wales until 2028 which included the next European Championship, which is being held across England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland.The former striker was considered for the Burnley job in 2024 when Scott Parker was appointed, and had a brief stint as interim manager after Kompany left for Bayern Munich in 2024.Parker was sacked in April following Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League was confirmed, with his former assistant Mike Jackson taking charge of their final four league games of the campaign.Burnley, who finished 19th last season, 19 points from safety, will now consider alternatives as they looked to appoint a new manager ahead of the new season. They will open the new campaign with a visit from fellow relegated side West Ham United on August 16.
