The Clarets have had a worrying run of form at the start of the 2026/27 Championship season, with just one win in their first twelve league games. “And one thing is for sure, it’s not a big deal to be relegated to League One.
With eight points, they are in 22nd place – on the wrong side of the relegation zone. The upcoming managerial appointment, which the Lancashire club is now close to announcing, could be crucial for the season.
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Yesterday they hired Diego López as the new head of football, the 37-year-old Spaniard comes to England from Genoa. – He will lead the negotiations with a new manager all the way to the finish. Manager Nicky Hayen was fired on Monday.
Burnley want to sign Swiss manager Fabio Celestini, who received massive backlash when he chose to coach a Russian club last summer. – The crisis at Burnley is apparently so big that they are now choosing “anyone” as their new manager. Just like Manchester United, the crisis at the club is so extensive that many good managers are reluctant to take a job that is almost certainly doomed to failure.
Burnley in advanced talks with Celestini
Fabio Celestini has come a long way in talks with Burnley to become their new manager. The retired former Swiss international is available after leaving Russian club CSKA Moscow in the summer, where he won the Russian Super Cup.
But he has spent most of his career coaching in Switzerland. See his managerial record below:
| Teams | From | To | Matches | V | U | T | Goal difference | Win percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terracina | 1 July 2014 | Nov. 5, 2014 | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | −5 | 20,00 |
| Terracina | Dec 23, 2014 | Jan 21, 2015 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | −3 | 33,33 |
| Lausanne-Sport | 24 March 2015 | April 20, 2018 | 120 | 44 | 26 | 50 | −3 | 36,67 |
| Lugano | Oct 3, 2018 | Oct 28, 2019 | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | +2 | 26,09 |
| Lucerne | Jan 2, 2020 | Nov. 22, 2021 | 79 | 29 | 21 | 29 | ±0 | 36,71 |
| Zion | Nov. 21, 2022 | March 3, 2023 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | −8 | 0,00 |
| Basel | Oct 31, 2023 | June 30, 2025 | 73 | 41 | 15 | 17 | +73 | 56,16 |
| CSKA Moscow | June 30, 2025 | May 4, 2026 | 40 | 20 | 9 | 11 | +14 | 50,00 |
The Swiss coach has had a 12-year managerial career, mainly in his home country, with clubs such as Lausanne-Sport, Lugano, Lucerne, Sion and Basel. With the latter, he won the Swiss Super League and the Swiss Cup in 2024/25.
Celestini usually leans on a direct attacking style in his managerial approach, with the aim of getting the ball from the goalkeeper to the attackers as quickly as possible.
Celestini is expected to beat several others for the Burnley job
Reports initially suggested that a candidate from abroad was strongly in the picture, after it emerged that neither Rob Edwards nor Carlos Corberán would replace Nicky Hayen – with Celestini now designated as the favourite.
Edwards had talks with Burnley management, but has since decided to resign. According to The Athletic, Corberán is holding out in hopes of a job in the Premier League.
Thiago Motta has already said he is available
