Nicky Hayen has been saced by Burnley with the Clarets struggling in the Championship.
Hayen was only appointed in the summer, replacing Scott Parker after Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League. Parker was sacked during the campaign with Mike Jackson placed in interim charge, though he couldn’t keep Burnley up.
Hayen only lasted 14 games across all competitions, with just two wins alongside five draws and seven defeats. One of those wins came in the first round of the Carabao Cup too, alongside a league victory over Watford. It leaves Burnley in the relegation zone after 12 Championship matches, already three points from safety.
So, who could come in and replace Hayen? Here’s a look at the latest odds.
READ: The top 10 out-of-work managers right now
Next Burnley manager odds
| Manager | talkSPORT BET Odds |
|---|---|
| Steven Gerrard | 4/1 |
| Carlos Corberan | 5/1 |
| Dave Challinor | 8/1 |
| Rob Edwards | 8/1 |
| Sean Dyche | 8/1 |
| Steve Cooper | 12/1 |
| Craig Bellamy | 12/1 |
| Gary Rowett | 14/1 |
| Karl Robinson | 14/1 |
| Scott Parker | 14/1 |
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Steven Gerrard
It’s been nearly two months since Steven Gerrard, the early odds-on favourite for Burnley, left Saudi side Al-Ettifaq in January 2025. While he’s kept busy with media work, a return to management feels increasingly likely this summer, with the Championship emerging as his most likely destination – with Bristol City and Burnley both potential suitors. He was favourite to take over in the summer too, before Hayen’s appointment.
Gerrard memorably spearheaded Rangers to the 2020/21 Scottish title – this remains their only league triumph in the past 14 years – before leaving for England with Aston Villa. Despite a promising start, his spell unravelled and he was dismissed after a return of 13 wins in 40 games; successor Unai Emery since taking the club to new levels domestically and in Europe. Gerrard then moved to Saudi Arabia on a lucrative £15m-a-year deal with Al-Ettifaq, where he spent 18 months.
Gerrard, 46, will feel there’s unfinished business in English football and could well take encouragement from former England teammate Frank Lampard, who revived his managerial reputation by leading Coventry City to the Championship title this season.
Burnley could prove to be an attractive prospect as there is still a long way to go in the season despite the poor start. A play-off challenge isn’t completely out of the question.
Dave Challinor
Dave Challinor is one of the most respected managers in the EFL and currently a free agent. He left Stockport County by mutual consent in June, just days after losing the League One play-off final to Bolton Wanderers.
His work at Edgeley Park was outstanding. Challinor took over in the National League in late 2021, won promotion to the Football League that same season and then lifted the League Two title in 2023/24. Stockport reached the League One play-offs in each of the next two campaigns.
Challinor has admitted that the Championship would have been his next challenge had Stockport gone up. Burnley would hand him that step without the need for a promotion, and his teams are well-organised and hard to beat, which is exactly what this leaky Burnley side are missing.
Rob Edwards
Rob Edwards has already said no to Burnley once. After the Craig Bellamy deal collapsed in June, the Clarets made an approach for the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss, only for Edwards to turn them down.
Edwards was sacked by Wolves in June after seven months in charge, and has been out of work since. Before that, he made his name by leading Luton Town to the Premier League in 2023, one of the great Championship promotion stories of recent years.
Whether he would be more receptive this time remains to be seen. Four months on the sidelines can change a manager’s outlook, and Burnley’s interest in the summer suggests he is still highly rated at board level.
Sean Dyche
Sean Dyche is the romantic choice. He managed Burnley for almost a decade, winning two promotions to the Premier League and guiding the Clarets to a seventh-placed finish in 2017/18. That earned the club their first European campaign in over 50 years, and even a pub named in his honour.
Dyche has been out of work since Nottingham Forest sacked him in February after just 114 days in charge. He has since been linked with Crystal Palace, but no top-flight opportunity has materialised.
A return would be a step down in division, but Dyche knows the club inside out. More importantly, his sides are built on defensive organisation, and Burnley have the worst defence in the Championship.
Carlos Corberan
Carlos Corberan has a proven track record in the Championship. He took Huddersfield Town to the play-off final in 2021/22, then turned West Bromwich Albion from relegation candidates into play-off contenders.
The Spaniard left the Hawthorns for Valencia in December 2024 and kept them in La Liga, before guiding them to ninth last season. That earned him a new contract until 2028 in July. However, Valencia sacked him last month with the side winless and bottom of the table.
His stock in England remains high, and he understands what it takes to climb this division. Corberan may hold out for a bigger job, but he would be a shrewd appointment for a Burnley side in need of a rebuild.
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