Rob Edwards has emerged as the odds-on favourite to take over as the next Burnley manager following the departure of Nicky Hayen. The 43-year-old former Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers boss has been installed as the 1/2 frontrunner by talkSPORT BET to fill the vacancy at Turf Moor after the Belgian was dismissed on Saturday evening, just hours after suffering a 4-1 defeat at newly promoted Lincoln.
Hayen's tenure in Lancashire lasted just 14 matches after arriving from Belgian outfit Genk to succeed interim manager Mike Jackson, who had initially stepped in when Scott Parker was sacked back in April. The 46-year-old Belgian oversaw only two wins during his brief stay, one of which came against League One club Notts County in the first round of the EFL Cup. Having secured just one victory and eight points from their opening 12 league fixtures, the Clarets—who entered the season among the favourites for an immediate return to the Premier League—currently sit in the Championship's relegation zone.
Edwards offers extensive second-tier experience, having steered Luton to promotion in 2023 and guided Middlesbrough into the top two prior to taking the helm at Wolves in November of last year. The Englishman, who previously managed Watford and Telford, has been out of work since being dismissed from Molineux in June. Carlos Corberan and Steven Gerrard are his closest competitors in the betting market, with both tacticians priced at 4/1. Corberan, formerly Marcelo Bielsa’s promotion-winning assistant at Leeds and a play-off finalist with Huddersfield and West Brom, is available after being sacked five games into the campaign by Valencia, whom he led to their joint-highest league finish since 2019. Gerrard, 46, has been unattached since leaving Saudi side Al Ettifaq in January last year and could see the second tier as an opportunity to revive his managerial career after previous stints at Rangers and Aston Villa.
Further down the odds list, current Wales manager Craig Bellamy stands at 12/1, carrying strong connections to Turf Moor having spent two years at the club as Vincent Kompany's assistant. Robbie Keane is also priced at 12/1 after leaving Hungarian team Ferencvaros in June, while Steve Cooper is listed at 14/1 and Dave Challinor sits at 16/1. Former Clarets manager Scott Parker and Gary Rowett are both priced at 20/1 as Burnley begin their search to pull the club away from the relegation places.