Wales' Highs and Lows Under Bellamy
Wales head coach Craig Bellamy has reportedly "burnt a lot of bridges" following the collapse of his proposed move to manage Burnley, according to former team-mate Iwan Roberts.
Bellamy, 46, engaged in discussions with The Clarets, but the potential appointment now appears to have fallen through.
Roberts, who played alongside Bellamy for both Wales and Norwich City, described the situation as awkward for Bellamy and the Football Association of Wales (FAW).
"The Association and [FAW chief executive] Noel Mooney know that Bellamy is looking at other jobs and has had his head turned by the links to Burnley," Roberts said.
"The big question now is whether they keep him on as national team manager?
"He's lost a lot of love and faith among the fans and I would think he's burnt a lot of bridges."
Bellamy served as a coach under Vincent Kompany at Burnley between 2022 and 2024 and briefly held caretaker charge.
Burnley approached the FAW with the intention of appointing Bellamy as the successor to Scott Parker, who was dismissed in April.
The breakdown of the move is understood not to be related to compensation demands from the FAW. However, negotiations concerning Bellamy's backroom staff joining him at Turf Moor were reportedly a sticking point.
Bellamy, a former forward for Liverpool, Manchester City, and West Ham, was appointed Wales manager in 2024 and holds a contract running through to 2028.
He has previously expressed his ambition to lead Wales at Euro 2028, which will be hosted across England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland.
Roberts believes Bellamy's association with the Burnley vacancy could affect his rapport with the Wales squad and supporters.
"The players will know that if he'd had the chance he would have left and gone to Burnley," Roberts told S4C's Newyddion.
"That after saying this was the best job in the world and how much he was looking forward to leading Wales into the next Euros.
"The next few days are going to be quite interesting I would imagine."
Perspectives from Former Wales Strikers
Another former Wales striker, Malcolm Allen, spoke to BBC Radio Cymru's Dros Frecwast, expressing relief that Bellamy will remain as Wales head coach with the European Championships two years away.
Allen acknowledged why Bellamy was attracted to the Burnley role, given the daily responsibilities of a club manager.
However, he recognized the situation as "uncomfortable."
"The problem is, when he comes back with his tail between his legs because he hasn't got the job with Burnley, is how Wales fans will respond to this?" Allen said.
"There will be some who were frustrated after we failed to reach the World Cup thinking 'how can we allow him back?'"
"The situation financially is that the FAW don't have a lot of money at the moment after we missed out on the World Cup.
"So he will have to win those fans over and the only way to do that will be to win games."
