Burnley have reportedly identified Fabio Celestini as their priority target to replace Nicky Hayen as their new head coach.
Hayen was sacked having won just one of his opening 12 league games to leave the Clarets loitering in the Championship bottom three.
Given Burnley's precarious position, the Lancashire outfit could be one more bad managerial appointment away from emulating Luton Town and Leicester City in suffering back-to-back relegations, adding even greater pressure to their next hire.
In the aftermath of Hayen's dismissal, Burnley appointed Diego Lopez as their new chief football officer and the Spaniard is working swiftly to identify a new head coach with Celestini emerging as a strong frontrunner.
According to The Athletic, Celestini and his staff have flown over to England to engage in talks, and Burnley will be hoping to conclude negotiations before Saturday's crucial clash against Portsmouth.
We've assessed Celestini's background and credentials ahead of his prospective appointment.
Background & Achievements
Enjoying a 15-year playing career which saw him represent the likes of Rennes and Marseille in France, Lausanne-Sport in Switzerland and Getafe in Spain, Celestini made 35 appearances for the Swiss national team and featured in their Euro 2004 campaign.
Of Swiss-Italian dual citizenship, the former central midfielder made his first foray into coaching with Italian amateur side Terracina Calcio following his retirement in 2012.
Having a brief spell as assistant manager to Bernd Schuster at Malaga during the 2013/14 La Liga season, Celestini returned to Terracina before a vacancy arose at his hometown club Lausanne in March 2015.
Impressing enough during his first two months in charge, Celestini was handed a three-year contract and he rewarded Lausanne's faith by guiding the club to the Swiss Challenge League title in his first full season.
Lausanne avoided relegation in their first season back in the Swiss Super League and Celestini was recognised with the Manager of the Year title. Despite early optimism that the club could consolidate in the top-flight after they were purchased by Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos in November 2017, Celestini was unable to spare the Vaud outfit from finishing bottom and he departed in April 2018.
Celestini then had a spate of brief spells across Switzerland's first division with his stints at Lugano, Luzern and Sion, all of which ended in dismissal due to poor results.
Then a big opportunity arose with Swiss giants Basel, who were struggling at the foot of the Super League when Celestini was appointed in October 2023. Celestini restored the club to the summit within 18 months, guiding Basel to a domestic double by winning the Swiss Super League and Swiss Cup in 2024/25.
Celestini subsequently quit the job and signed a contract with Russian club CSKA Moscow on a two-year deal. Winning the Russian Super Cup in his first competitive outing, CSKA finished sixth in the Russian Premier League despite a strong start, and Celestini left the club by mutual consent in May.
Honours
Basel
- Swiss Super League: 2024/25
- Swiss Cup: 2024/25
CSKA Moscow
- Russian Super Cup: 2025
Individual
- Swiss Super League Manager of the Year: 2016/17
Managerial Statistics
Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
M | W | D | L | GF | GA | Win % | |
Lausanne-Sport | 120 | 44 | 26 | 50 | 189 | 192 | 36.67 |
Lugano | 46 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 59 | 57 | 26.09 |
Luzern | 79 | 29 | 21 | 29 | 121 | 121 | 36.71 |
Sion | 6 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 | 0.00 |
Basel | 73 | 41 | 15 | 17 | 156 | 83 | 56.16 |
CSKA Moscow | 40 | 20 | 9 | 11 | 59 | 45 | 50.00 |
Total | 377 | 149 | 95 | 133 | 607 | 537 | 39.52 |
Formation, tactics & style of play
The volume of issues Celestini will need to address at Turf Moor cannot be underestimated.
Burnley looked unbalanced and disjointed during Hayen's tenure. Players being played out of position, defensively at sea - the Clarets have conceded a league-high 25 goals from the second-highest xG Against - and unspectacular attacking numbers all combined to the Belgian's demise.
Celestini has primarily implemented a 4-2-3-1 system during his managerial career, which is the shape Burnley have been playing under Hayen, but the Swiss national has been known to tinker. During Basel's title-winning campaign, he shifted to a 3-4-3 following a difficult spell and it resulted in an eight-game unbeaten streak.
When everyone is fit, Burnley certainly have the personnel to pursue a system with three central defenders.
Celestini's 2024/25 Basel team ranked third for possession, and while ball retention is a strong element of his philosophy, he wants his side to move the ball forward swiftly in order to create chances. Basel's sterile possession suddenly become purposeful under Celestini's tutelage - they averaged 158.67 forward passes per game, comfortably the most in the division, and scored 91 goals in 38 matches.
Set-pieces were a key feature in Basel's goal output as the club scored a league-high 18 during their title-winning campaign.
Basel ranked second in the Swiss Super League for possession won in the final third during Celestini's tenure which demonstrates an eagerness to defend from the front, but he may recognise the vulnerabilities in the Clarets squad and adopt for a more conservative approach.
There are similarities to this Burnley job and the Basel vacancy. Basel were grossly underperforming given the talent at their disposal and the Swiss giants required an abrupt culture shift to haul them out of their rut.
Those man-management skills will be essential if Celestini has any chance of improving Burnley's wretched form.
