Burnley appoint ex-Basel boss Celestini as head coach

Celestini, 50, arrives after winning the Swiss Super League title and cup with Basel; Burnley are 22nd in the Championship with one league win this season.

Burnley have appointed Fabio Celestini as head coach, four days after Nicky Hayen's sacking following a 4-1 defeat to Lincoln City. The 50-year-old led FC Basel to a domestic double in the 2024-25 Swiss Super League season, winning both the title and Swiss Cup. He has also managed CSKA Moscow, where he won the Russian Super Cup, though most of his career has been spent in Switzerland.

Celestini takes over a Clarets side in poor form, currently 22nd in the Championship with just one league win this season. Burnley have not won at home in the league for over a year, following a difficult Premier League campaign last term. Director of football Diego Lopez, appointed earlier this week, led the search for Hayen's replacement. Celestini said he sees "a club with big potential and players with real quality" and promised a team "playing with belief from the first whistle."