Steven Gerrard backed to snub Bristol City to land Burnley job as talks progress | OneFootball

Gerrard is being linked with a number of EFL clubs, having been a free agent since January 2025

Steven Gerrard is seemingly a man in-demand heading into the closing of the 2025-26 season, with at least two Championship clubs having the Liverpool legend on their radar.

This past weekend, Alan Nixon reported that Burnley had the 45-year-old in their sights as they weigh up a decision on Scott Parker's future following the Clarets' relegation from the Premier League, and Belgium-based reporter Sacha Tavolieri has claimed that talks have begun between the club and Gerrard's representatives.

Parker's job still remains hanging in the balance at Turf Moor, but Burnley may have a rival for Gerrard's services, with Pete O'Rourke claiming that Bristol City are also keen on Gerrard becoming their new head coach.

The Robins are on the lookout for Gerhard Struber's permanent successor, with the Austrian being sacked in March having failed to see out his first season in charge at Ashton Gate, with veteran ex-England boss Roy Hodgson taking the reins for the remainder of the campaign.

Burnley or Bristol City - where should Steven Gerrard head next?

More vacancies could potentially come up after the season is over, but with Gerrard already being linked to two roles, which would be the best fit for the Scottish Premiership-winning manager? FLW writers have had their say

Ben Wignall

Both the Burnley and Bristol City jobs - even if one isn't actually a vacancy yet - offers their own interesting angles, but the Clarets manager role, should Scott Parker be sacked, is the more obvious immediate route to the Premier League for Gerrard.

The East Lancashire outfit are at risk of perhaps becoming a more modern day West Brom side who yo-yo'd between the top and second tier in the early 2000s, having been promoted twice and relegated three times since 2022, but financially they are well off and didn't spend nearly as much as the likes of Leeds and Sunderland did last summer.

Looking at Burnley's squad, you can't immediately see many assets that top flight clubs will be lurking around to try and snap up, so Gerrard may already have the nucleus of a strong squad capable of winning promotion if he stepped through the Turf Moor door in the near future.

Bristol City would be more of a gamble. They're a club who are probably in need of a bit of investment in their playing squad, having got the stadium, training ground, catchment area and infrastructure to be a Premier League club at some point in the near future.

They're set for another mid-table finish this season, which is a regression from their sixth-placed finish under Liam Manning, and losing both Anis Mehmeti and Zak Vyner to divisional rivals will have hurt too.

More ambition will likely be needed to entice Gerrard to Ashton Gate, but as of now, the Burnley job looks a lot more appealing on paper for the England icon to get back into work for the first time since January 2025.

Jack Price

Likewise, it's pretty difficult to look past the potentially vacant job at Burnley representing a better fit for Gerrard at this moment in time.

Bristol City have unrealised potential and that could well convince Gerrard to come in and re-awaken the city in a similar vein to what a former teammate in Frank Lampard has done at Coventry City.

However, the concerns over backing in the transfer window remain at large. Many Robins supporters felt for Gerhard Struber when he was dismissed after only receiving limited backing in two successive windows, which prevented the Austrian from building a squad capable of pushing for yet another top-six finish, and that may well put Gerrard off the job.

Burnley, meanwhile, have spent strongly during recent Championship campaigns and will have the luxury of parachute payments to lean on, alongside fundraising through inevitable player sales in the summer.

That would, you imagine, leave Gerrard with a healthy transfer kitty, and the Clarets will also have one of the most talented squads in the second-tier next season.

There would be plenty of factors in place at Turf Moor to help Gerrard revitalise his managerial career with a strong campaign in the Championship if Burnley do decide to part ways with Parker and look past other candidates such as former assistant Craig Bellamy, meaning the 45-year-old may well have a rather easy decision to make as he assesses he options.

Alfie Burns

Both jobs are appealing in their own way and Gerrard will probably feel incredibly lucky if either of them come off for him after that tough spell with Aston Villa.

Burnley seem the logical option for Gerrard if they sack Scott Parker. If you think about the squad Gerrard would inherit - even with players leaving - and the budget he will probably be afforded, he will be in a stronger position to be successful at Turf Moor than he maybe would at Bristol City.

That being said, it comes with the pressure that the club want and need to bounce back, and he might not get the time he would elsewhere.

Perhaps going to Bristol City is a little bit more like going down the Frank Lampard route? Taking on an established Championship club where there isn't as much pressure on instant success. Gerrard could build something at Bristol City over a period and start repairing some of the 'damage' done at Villa Park.

If you break down both jobs, there are pros and cons to Gerrard taking either. Burnley looks a safer bet when it comes to bouncing back into the Premier League for the manager, but there's certainly something intriguing about Gerrard following in his ex-England teammate's footsteps by taking a slightly different route back into the game.

Sam Rourke

Steven Gerrard faces a crucial decision in his managerial career, and he has two intriguing options in Burnley and Bristol City.

They are different jobs and both certainly have pros and cons.

For me, Burnley would be the safer bet here.

The Clarets undoubtedly have a stronger squad compared to the Robins after being freshly relegated from the Premier League and the parachute payments will be a welcome resource to lean on.

With talented second tier operators like Josh Cullen, Josh Laurent and Zian Flemming at his disposal, he'd already inherit a solid inventory of players to make a real go at it next term.

The main objective for the Clarets would be to ensure an immediate return to the Premier League and Gerrard could be the man to spearhead a new revolution at Turf Moor, similar to what Vincent Kompany achieved.

The Burney job would not come without pressure though, there would be a clear expectation from club owner Alan Pace to be in and around the automatic promotion hunt - anything less would be deemed a failure.

He'd likely be afforded more time at Bristol City as there is some re-building that needs to take place, before the Robins become genuine title challengers anytime soon in the Championship.

There are structural changes off the pitch with a new sporting director set to be confirmed which suggests a long-term project is in view at Ashton Gate.

Bristol City is more of a 'project' job for Gerrard right now and he may fancy it, but if Gerrard wants success and silverware sooner on his CV, taking the top job at Turf Moor could be the way to go.