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The National (Scotland)
The National (Scotland)
Sport
Robbie Hanratty

Former Celtic ace set to become Wales head coach after snubbing Burnley offer

Craig Bellamy is expected to be named as the new manager of the Welsh national team today.

Bellamy, who played for Celtic on-loan during the 2005-06 season, will succeed Rob Page. Page was sacked from the position last month after miserable friendly displays against Gibraltar and Slovakia sealed his fate, with Wales already failing to qualify for Euro 2024 under his stewardship.

The search for a successor was carried out by the Welsh FA and now they have came to the conclusion that Bellamy, who earned 78 caps for Wales between 1998 and 2013, is the best candidate to be their head coach.

Bellamy had been offered the chance to stay on at Burnley under new boss Scott Parker after spending a short spell in the hot seat following Vincent Kompany’s move to Bayern Munich.

However, he has decided to take on the challenge of leading his home country's national team.


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Bellamy's time at Celtic, where he scored 9 goals in 26 appearances, is fondly remembered by the club's supporters.

(Image: SNS) His experience playing at the international level, combined with successful spells at Liverpool, Manchester City and West Ham United is expected to make him a popular choice to take over the Welsh national team.

With his appointment, Bellamy will be tasked with guiding Wales through their upcoming 2026 World Cup and European Championship qualifying campaigns, as they look to put their recent troubles under Page behind them.

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