Burnley identify perfect Scott Parker replacement as sack fears heighten amid looming relegation – Exclusive | OneFootball

Burnley are understood to view Wales manager Craig Bellamy as their natural successor to Scott Parker if, and when, they decide to make a change, with pressure on their boss seriously ramping up, TEAMtalk understands.

The Clarets are heading back to the Championship with their Premier League survival hopes all but extinguished after a frustrating season that has yielded a meagre 15 points from 25 games so far. As a result, speculation has intensified over Parker’s future at Turf Moor.

Burnley currently sit second-bottom of the table, a daunting 11 points away from safety as things stand, and face a crucial fixture against fellow strugglers Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Wednesday evening.

TEAMtalk sources indicate that senior figures at Turf Moor are increasingly doubtful Parker will be the man trusted to lead the club into next season.

We can reveal that if Burnley do opt for a reset, Bellamy is the candidate they ideally want. He spent two years at Turf Moor as first‑team coach under Vincent Kompany, playing a key role in the club’s Championship title‑winning campaign.

His work earned huge admiration internally, and TEAMtalk understands Burnley even considered him as Kompany’s successor in summer 2024 – only for Bellamy to already be deep in discussions to take charge of Wales.

Since stepping into international management, Bellamy has impressed. Wales head into March preparing for the World Cup qualification play‑offs, and his stock has risen sharply as a result.

Bellamy on Burnley radar as Parker pressure builds

Bellamy’s availability, however, depends entirely on Wales’s fate. Should they qualify for the World Cup, Bellamy would not be free until after the finals.

Wales are due to face Bosnia in the play-off semi-final ahead of a potential final against Italy or Northern Ireland. But if Wales fall short, TEAMtalk has been told he could become available much sooner, opening the door for Burnley to move quickly.

Parker remains in position for now, but the feeling around the club is that a major reset is coming.

Burnley want a manager capable of rebuilding, reconnecting with the squad, and restoring the identity that took them back to the Premier League under Kompany.

In their eyes, Craig Bellamy fits that profile perfectly.

Whether he would take the role if Burnley are relegated, as expected, remains to be seen. But his connection to the Lancashire side and the opportunity to step into club management for the first time could tempt him.

Parker still believes survival is possible

Speaking in a pre-match press conference, Parker insisted that avoiding relegation is “definitely doable” for Burnley, but accepts it is a “massive challenge.”

“It is doable, it is achievable. It’d be right up there [as an achievement] and it is doable,” Parker said.

“And again, we can look at it and think, well, you’re going to have to win X amount of games and you’ve only won X amount and I get all that. We can highlight that and just look at that side of it.

“My constant point is, if we did that, what chance have we got? Because it would suggest that it would be pretty, pretty difficult. But we can.

“Can we go and beat Crystal Palace? For sure we can. We can. If we apply ourselves in the right way, we recharge, we refresh, we take all of the pain and all of the negativity that’s come our way over the last few weeks, of course we can. That’s how we need to approach this game.

“At this moment in time, we approach this game, this is what it is, it’s Crystal Palace. We go down there, we put in a good performance against them last time.

“Can we turn the tide here a little bit? Can we go and put a real solid performance in and go win one game of football? That’s our main focus and then we’ll move on to the next.

“So there’s a massive challenge here and it’ll rank right up there, but it’s definitely doable and that’s exactly what we’re striving to do.”