Burnley take huge financial gamble as Craig Bellamy update drops | OneFootball

Burnley could be prepared to quadruple Craig Bellamy's Wales salary to bring him back to Turf Moor as their new head coach

Burnley's third relegation from the Premier League in five years means the Clarets will be playing Championship football once again next season, and with no permanent head coach yet at the helm, the Lancashire-based outfit has reportedly made a lucrative swoop to solve that issue.

Burnley will be playing Championship football next season following relegation from the Premier League, which remains one of the only certainties around the club at the moment.

Scott Parker, having guided the club to the top flight on 100 points and a record 16 goals conceded across the campaign, was unable to get to grips with the Premier League once again, having failed to do so previously with both Fulham and Bournemouth, and following the confirmation of Burnley's relegation, left the club,

Indeed, the losses of CJ Egan-Riley, James Trafford, and Josh Brownhill did not help matters, as only Wolverhampton Wanderers kept the club off the foot of the table.

Both Wolves and West Ham United will be joining them in the second tier next year, both of whom have made key decisions regarding their head coaches following relegation, as the Clarets are the last in the queue to make a move in the form of Craig Bellamy, in a deal that could prove to be lucrative.

Burnley are reportedly ready to quadruple Craig Bellamy's Wales wages to sanction Turf Moor return

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Burnley's managerial search is starting to step up a gear at last.

The likes of Steven Gerrard, John Eustace, and Brian Barry-Murphy have all been touted with a switch to Turf Moor, but it now looks as though the Clarets have identified their top target as former assistant manager and current Wales boss Craig Bellamy.

Bellamy, 46, made just shy of 300 Premier League appearances for the likes of Coventry City, Newcastle United, Blackburn Rovers, Liverpool, West Ham United, Manchester City, and Cardiff City across his career, and began his managerial journey as a coach in the Bluebirds academy.

He'd link up with former Man City centre-back Vincent Kompany as assistant boss to Anderlecht in Belgium, and would follow the current Bayern Munich head coach to Burnley in 2022, contributing to their 101-point campaign in the 2022/23 season, in which they lost just three games.

He'd take the Wales top job in the summer of 2024 following Kompany's departure from the Clarets, a role which he retains to this day, and has since reiterated his desire to remain by rejecting club jobs.

However, Burnley are looking to test his commitment to his national side by making a strong move for his services, and, according to WalesOnline, are ready to potentially quadruple his current wages to lure him back to Turf Moor.

Burnley's ambition is to make an immediate return to the top-flight, having done so twice previously following their most recent relegations, and have outlined Bellamy as the outstanding candidate to lead their charge.

Bellamy has taken charge of 20 Wales matches to date, winning eight, drawing six, and losing six, with one of those defeats coming crucially to Bosnia and Herzegovina, meaning they missed out on the chance to go to the current World Cup taking place in North America.

His experience of working under Kompany makes him an attractive proposition for the Clarets, and having worked at Turf Moor previously, he knows exactly what the club is about and what the supporters expect.

WalesOnline further report that a compensation fee of around £700k would be required to be met by Burnley to prise Bellamy away from his current contract with his nation.

Whether Burnley are willing to meet that remains to be seen, and despite relegation, that fee ought not to be too astronomical by their financial standards.

Regardless of his performance as Wales head coach, Bellamy would be a gamble for the Clarets, given his lack of experience in a top job at club level, but it seems to be one that Burnley are willing to make.

Whether it will be the correct decision remains to be seen, but Burnley seem to believe he is worth the pursuit, as Clarets fans have no choice but to trust their judgment, on what, on the face of it, looks to be a gamble.

Burnley must weigh up the pros and cons before appointing Craig Bellamy in what is a huge decision

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With both Wolves and West Ham making big decisions in their management staff, Burnley are set to follow suit and do the same.

The Old Gold dismissed Rob Edwards from his post unexpectedly and has since replaced him with the lesser-known Cesar Peixoto, whilst Nuno Espirito Santo is expected to remain in charge of the Hammers following relegation.

Burnley are the last of the relegated clubs to make a decision on their head coach, and whilst taking their time can be viewed both positively and negatively, Clarets fans will likely be choosing to view it as a positive.

Having gotten both Kompany's and Parker's appointments spot on previously, the supporters must trust the hierarchy to repeat that feat with Bellamy if he is indeed appointed, despite it being a gamble on the face of it.