Burnley eye 46-year-old international manager as Scott Parker sack talk swirls | OneFootball

Burnley are eyeing Scott Parker replacements and a 46-year-old national team manager is 'appreciated' at Turf Moor alongside Steven Gerrard...

Burnley and Scott Parker are set for crunch talks today, with relegation back to the Championship confirmed and successor's eyed up to take over at Turf Moor.

Scott Parker achieved 100 points last season in the Championship but his Burnley side sit 19th with just 20 points and four wins all season as we enter the final four remaining games in the Premier season.

Burnley were promoted alongside Leeds United and Sunderland. The Black Cats are set to survive relegation to the Championship and Leeds United should soon follow, with Burnley relegated for the third time in five seasons instead.

It's possible that the Clarets part ways with Parker and look elsewhere for a replacement.

Parker has been holding talks with Burnley this week about his and the club's future, while Steven Gerrard has been linked with the Burnley job as a potential replacement already.

Craig Bellamy could make a return to Burnley to replace Scott Parker

Burnley have already issued a statement regarding their next steps in the Championship, be that with Parker, Gerrard, or another manager instead. The Clarets will need clarity before the end of the season, so that they can hit the ground running in June onwards.

Alex Crook of talkSPORT has revealed that Parker's future is "in the balance" and adds that his sources are suggesting he could depart amicably at season's end. Steven Gerrard is also now tax exempt from his time in Saudi and keen to return to the dugout.

His colleague Ben Jacobs has issued a further update, revealing further details on the managerial search should Parker depart. He states that Gerrard is open to a role in the Championship but that there is another manager admired as well.

Jacobs wrote on X (formerly Twitter) and stated: "Former Burnley assistant and Wales boss Craig Bellamy one name appreciated if a change is made."

Bellamy's Wales side are not headed to the World Cup this summer after losing to Bosnia on penalties in Cardiff City last month, with the 46-year-old in charge of the national team since July 2024.

Craig Bellamy's coaching career so far

Bellamy has had an interesting career as a manager already, with the Welshman initially becoming part of the U-21 team coaching staff for Belgian side Anderlecht following the appointment of his former Manchester City teammate Vincent Kompany as first-team manager.

He later worked as an assistant to Kompany before reuniting with the Belgian at Burnley. In May 2024, after Kompany left to join Bayern Munich in the wake of Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League, Bellamy was appointed acting head coach temporarily as well.

However, not long after, Bellamy was announced as the Wales boss. That has been his first steps into a full-time senior position, with it unclear if he would prefer a return to club football over managing the national team ahead of Euro 2028.

Wales, of course, are one of the host nations alongside the other British and Irish nations for the tournament in two years. That could be an incentive for him to remain in charge there instead of re-joining Burnley and to continue in his post until at least the end of that historic tournament.