Ex-Liverpool star set to quit manager role after landing new opportunity
Below is a summary of the full article. Click here for the full version from Liverpool.com or go back to LFC Live.
Former Liverpool star Craig Bellamy is on the brink of leaving his role as Wales boss to take over at Burnley, with a compensation package agreed and a joint announcement expectedCraig Bellamy is set to leave Wales for Burnley(Image: Getty Images)Craig Bellamy is poised to step down as Wales' head coach after Burnley reached a compensation agreement to appoint him as the club's new boss.Senior figures at Burnley have been engaged in high-level discussions with Noel Mooney, the chief executive of the Football Association of Wales, to secure Bellamy's release from his current contract, which has two years remaining.Bellamy is a well-known figure on Merseyside after his two spells at Liverpool. He first joined the Reds in 2006, helping them reach the 2007 Champions League final, where they lost to AC Milan.
He departed within weeks of that result before returning to Anfield in 2011 to complete another one-season spell, beating Cardiff in the 2012 League Cup final.It is understood that Mooney has reluctantly conceded in his efforts to retain Bellamy. However, sources suggest he has negotiated a substantial compensation package of approximately £700,000 ($920,000).The concluding talks were taking place ahead of an anticipated joint statement on Bellamy's future from the FAW and Burnley.Mooney faced a renewed challenge last week after Burnley returned with an enhanced proposal for Bellamy, mere days after the Welsh icon had committed to remaining and guiding his nation into Euro 2028 on home territory.Bellamy spent two seasons at Liverpool(Image: Getty Images)It is understood Bellamy will more than treble his Wales wages by joining the recently-relegated Burnley; the Clarets will make him the best-paid manager in the Championship.Crucially, he will also be immersed in daily soccer operations, having grown increasingly frustrated with the lengthy intervals between Wales fixtures.While waiting between international windows, the 46-year-old Bellamy has also witnessed younger managers secure prominent club positions.
Consequently, should Wales' results continue to decline, he may question when such an opportunity might present itself again.The prospect of leading his nation onto the pitch at the Principality Stadium during the Euros has weighed heavily on Bellamy's mind as he grappled with his choice. Yet, barring an eleventh-hour change of heart, he's broadly expected to be bound for Turf Moor.Attention will subsequently shift to his successor in the Wales dugout for a European Championship hosted on home soil.Among the early names FAW officials have considered are Steve Cooper, Rob Edwards, Bellamy's deputy Andrew Crofts — who would represent continuity — and ex-West Brom boss Eric Ramsay.Mooney, though, may advocate for a more prominent appointment than those initial suggestions.Consequently, other personalities who could enter the conversation include Ryan Giggs, who's eager to reclaim his former position and believes he has unfinished business with Wales, alongside a trio of French legends who took their coaching badges in Wales — Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira, and Marcel Desailly.