New Era at Burnley: Fabio Celestini Appointed Head Coach

Burnley have appointed former Basel and CSKA Moscow boss Fabio Celestini as their new head coach following the dismissal of Nicky Hayen.

Hayen was sacked last Saturday after 14 matches in the Championship, with a 4-1 defeat to Lincoln City leaving the Clarets in the relegation zone.

Since their relegation, Burnley have managed just one league win (a 4-0 victory over Watford at the start of October) and already sit 17 points behind leaders Middlesbrough and 12 points adrift of the play-off places.

Celestini previously led Basel to a Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup double in the 2024-25 season, and after moving to Russia last year he lifted the Russian Super Cup with CSKA Moscow.

The Swiss coach, who left the Moscow club after a poor run of form saw them fall out of the title race, now faces the task of getting Burnley back on the rise. That process begins with Saturday's clash against Portsmouth at Turf Moor.

"When I look at Burnley, I see great potential and quality players who can help us achieve the goals of our supporters," said the former Switzerland international midfielder. "I am aware of the situation we are in, and I have experienced it before. Our fans deserve to see a team that fights with belief from the first whistle."

Before joining CSKA Moscow, Celestini spent his coaching career in the Italian lower leagues or in his native Switzerland, with spells at Terracina, Lausanne-Sport, Lugano, Luzern and Sion.

If Burnley fail to beat Portsmouth, they will set an unwanted record. Without a home league win since beating Leeds United in the Premier League on 18 October 2025, the club are in danger of breaking the record for the longest home winless run, measured in days, in the top four tiers of English football. The record belongs to Sheffield Wednesday, with a 376-day run between April 2025 and May 2026.