Craig Bellamy: Wales boss has 'lost a lot of love' after Burnley move collapse

Wales head coach Craig Bellamy has "burnt a lot of bridges" after his proposed move to Burnley broke down, former team-mate Iwan Roberts has said.

Bellamy, 46, had held talks with the the Clarets but the move now looks to have collapsed.

Roberts, who played alongside Bellamy for Wales and Norwich City, said it had created an awkward situation for Bellamy and the Football Association of Wales (FAW).

"The Association and [FAW chief executive] Noel Mooney know that Bellamy is looking at other jobs and has had his head turned by the links to Burnley," said Roberts.

"The big question now is whether they keep him on as national team manager.

"He's lost a lot of love and faith among the fans and I would think he's burnt a lot of bridges."

Bellamy was assistant to Vincent Kompany at Burnley between 2022 and 2024 and had a brief spell as caretaker boss.

The Lancashire club approached the FAW with a view to appointing Bellamy as successor to Scott Parker, who was sacked in April.

The breakdown is understood to not be related to compensation for the FAW, while negotiations for Bellamy's backroom staff to join him at Turf Moor were thought to be a point of contention.

Former Liverpool, Manchester City and West Ham forward Bellamy, who was appointed Wales boss in 2024, has a contract that runs until 2028.

He has previously spoken of his ambition to lead Wales at Euro 2028, being held across England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland.

But Roberts believes Bellamy's links to the Burnley vacancy could impact on his relationship with the Wales squad and supporters.

"The players will know that if he'd had the chance he would have left and gone to Burnley," Roberts told S4C's Newyddion.

"That after saying this was the best job in the world and how much he was looking forward to leading Wales into the next Euros.

"The next few days are going to be quite interesting I would imagine."

Gareth Bale said it would be a major blow for Wales to lose Bellamy while another former Wales striker, Malcolm Allen, told BBC Radio Cymru he is pleased the head coach will remain with the European Championship two years away.

Allen understood why Bellamy was attracted to the Burnley job, with the chance to take on the day-to-day responsibilities of a club manager.

But he recognised it was now an "uncomfortable" situation to be in.

"The problem, when he comes back with his tail between his legs because he hasn't got the job with Burnley, is how Wales fans will respond to this," Allen said.

"There will be some who were frustrated after we failed to reach the World Cup thinking 'how can we allow him back?'.

"The situation financially is that the FAW don't have a lot of money at the moment after we missed out on the World Cup.

"So he will have to win those fans over and the only way to do that will be to win games."

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