Burnley appoint Hayen as new head coach

Burnley have appointed Genk boss Nicky Hayen as their new head coach on a three-year deal.

The 45-year-old Belgian replaces Scott Parker, who left by mutual consent at the end of April as the Clarets suffered relegation from the Premier League.

Hayen, who had a spell with Welsh side Haverfordwest County between 2021 and 2022, led Genk to a seventh-placed finish in the Belgian top flight last season.

"I'm pleased to be joining a club with real history and supporters who care deeply about it," he told the club website., external

"I know most of them won't know much about me yet, that's fair and it's on me to change it."

The Clarets previously approached the Football Association of Wales looking to appoint men's national team head coach Craig Bellamy, who was on the staff during Vincent Kompany's time in charge, but the move collapsed during negotiations around the make-up of the backroom staff.

Former Wolves boss Rob Edwards is understood to have turned down an approach from the Turf Moor club to replace Parker.

Hayen will now join up with the team on their pre-season tour in the United States.

His first competitive match in charge will be the Carabao Cup first round tie against Notts County on Saturday, 8 August before they host fellow relegated side West Ham in their Championship opener the following Sunday.

Burnley enjoyed six successive seasons in the Premier League between 2016 and 2022, largely under the management of Sean Dyche.

However, since going down in 2021-22 they have alternated between promotion to or relegation from the top flight under first Kompany and then Parker.

"In Nicky we have a coach who builds teams with a clear identity and improves the players around him. That is the football we want at Turf Moor," chairman Alan Pace said.

"This is a considered appointment that fits how we intend to run the club. We have backed a clear footballing plan within a sustainable model and Nicky has the support to deliver it.

"Our focus now is a strong season and a return to the Premier League on solid foundations."

Hayen has not managed outside of Belgium aside from his brief spell in Wales.

He led Club Brugge to the Jupiler League title in 2023-24 and helped them reach the knockout rounds of the Champions League the following season, where they lost to Aston Villa in the last 16.

Brugge sacked him in December after a defeat by Sint Truiden but he returned to management just two weeks later when he took over at Genk.

Nicky Hayen will know he was not first choice but it's a very good opportunity for him to get this chance to come and coach at this level in England.

He's had enough first-team experience in Belgium to give an idea of the kind of football he wants to play and the stamp he will want to put on the team.

He isn't a complete unknown to the British game having had a spell in the Welsh Premier League with Haverfordwest County in the 2021-22 season, which is an incredibly unusual step to take in a coaching career - he was the first Belgian to coach in that league.

It means that some of the day-to-day cultural stuff, the English language, you imagine won't be a problem for him.

He's a young manager at only 45 and he will have loads of contacts in that European sphere.

But Burnley have left this to the last possible minute before their first pre-season friendly so it will be fascinating to see how quickly the pieces of the jigsaw get put together.