Burnley appoint Fabio Celestini as head coach after Nicky Hayen’s dismissal
The former Basel manager takes over with Burnley 22nd in the Championship after one league win this season.
Burnley appointed Fabio Celestini as head coach on 28 October 2026, according to BBC Sport, four days after dismissing Nicky Hayen. Celestini takes over at the Lancashire club with Burnley 22nd in the Championship, having won only once in the league this season.
Hayen left after Saturday’s 4-1 defeat at Lincoln City. He had won one of his 12 Championship matches in charge, the Lancashire Telegraph reported. Appointed in July after Scott Parker’s departure following relegation from the Premier League, Hayen lasted less than four months in the job.
What Celestini inherits at Burnley
The immediate task is to improve a side in the relegation zone. Burnley have gone more than a year without a home league win, according to both BBC Sport and the Lancashire Telegraph. Their poor start to this Championship season follows a difficult Premier League campaign that ended in relegation.
Celestini, 50, acknowledged the club’s position in comments quoted by BBC Sport. ‘I know the situation we are in, and I have lived it before,’ he said. ‘Our supporters deserve to see a team playing with belief from the first whistle.’ He said he saw ‘big potential’ at Burnley and quality among its players.
Diego Lopez, appointed Burnley’s director of football earlier this week and tasked with finding a manager, said Celestini brought the ‘passion, experience and knowledge’ the club wanted. Lopez also praised his determination to take the job. Burnley have not disclosed the length of Celestini’s contract.
Celestini’s record at Basel and CSKA Moscow
Celestini led FC Basel to the Swiss Super League title and Swiss Cup in 2024-25. Basel had been bottom of the table when he arrived in October 2023, the Lancashire Telegraph reported. His subsequent spell at CSKA Moscow brought a Russian Super Cup; BBC Sport said he left the club by mutual agreement in May after 11 months.
The former Switzerland midfielder won 35 international caps and has managed mainly in Switzerland, including spells at Lausanne, Lucerne, Lugano and Sion. The Lancashire Telegraph reported that Celestini was due in the dugout for Burnley’s home match against Portsmouth at Turf Moor this weekend, his first scheduled fixture as head coach.
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Sources and context
- Fabio Celestini: Burnley appoint ex-FC Basel boss as head coachBBC Sport
- Clarets confirm appointment of Fabio Celestini as new head coachLancashire Telegraph, republished by Yahoo Sports
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.