Burnley name Fabio Celestini head coach after Nicky Hayen sacking
Burnley have appointed Fabio Celestini as head coach four days after sacking Nicky Hayen, tasking the former Basel and CSKA Moscow boss with reviving a side 22nd in the Championship.
Burnley have appointed Fabio Celestini as their new head coach, four days after the dismissal of Nicky Hayen. The 50-year-old Swiss arrives with the club 22nd in the Championship, having won only once in the league this season. Their poor run extends back to a difficult Premier League campaign last term, and Burnley have not won a home league game in over a year.
Celestini's most notable success came at FC Basel, where he led the club to a domestic double in 2024-25, claiming both the Swiss Super League title and the Swiss Cup. He was most recently in charge of CSKA Moscow, winning the Russian Super Cup, and left that role by mutual agreement in May. His managerial career began at Italian club Terracina, and he has also coached Lausanne, Lucerne, Lugano and Sion. As a player, he was a midfielder capped 35 times by Switzerland.
The appointment follows a restructuring at Burnley, with Diego Lopez named director of football earlier this week and given responsibility for recruiting a new manager after Hayen departed in the wake of Saturday's 4-1 defeat by Lincoln City. Lopez said Celestini brings the passion, experience and knowledge the club sought, adding that the new coach showed determination and conviction to take the job. The club did not disclose details of his contract.
Celestini said he sees a club with big potential and players of real quality who can help meet the supporters' ambitions. He added that he understands the situation Burnley are in, having experienced similar circumstances before, and said supporters deserve a team playing with belief from the first whistle.
The scale of the task is clear: Burnley's league position and lengthy wait for a home win frame Celestini's arrival as an attempt to steady a club that has struggled for results across two campaigns. His record in Switzerland, particularly the Basel double, offers the main evidence behind the appointment, while his brief spell in Russia adds recent experience outside his home country.
Image: Burnley FC / BBC Sport
