A closer look at Burnley’s potential new boss

For the second time in just four months, Burnley are considering employing a lesser-known coach.

Fabio Celestini is now the frontrunner for the Turf Moor vacancy, with The Athletic reporting the 50-year-old is a strong contender for the role.

They also claim the Swiss boss has even travelled to England with his staff, although terms of the potential agreement are still to be agreed.

talkSPORT and other outlets have since confirmed Burnley are in advanced talks with Celestini.

While he’s not the only candidate in the running, it’s understood an appointment could be possible before this weekend’s game against Portsmouth.

But what do we know about Celestini?

On the face of it, he appears to be a relatively similar coach to Nicky Hayen, who has just lost his job after a disastrous 106-day spell, where he won just one of his 12 league games in charge, leaving the Clarets rooted in relegation strife.

Like the Belgian, Celestini took an unconventional route into coaching, but has since garnered a reputation for possession-based football, only his CV includes more top level experience.

Here, we take a closer look at the prospective new Burnley boss:

Personal life

Celestini was born and brought up in Lausanne, Switzerland, to an Italian family, as his surname suggests.

He has described himself as someone shaped by both Italian and Swiss culture, but has also remarked that football helped him develop his Swiss identity, despite growing up in an Italian household.

He acquired Swiss-Italian dual citizenship and speaks five languages - Italian, French, Spanish, German and English - reflecting his life across different European football cultures.

In 1995, he joined hometown club Lausanne-Sport and began his professional career there. But when he first signed professionally, he continued working as an electrical draughtsman rather than relying entirely on football for his income.

Unlike many, becoming a footballer was never a childhood obsession for Celestini, but his ambitions only grew as more and more opportunities arrived.

He’s spoken previously about his love of cooking, music, dancing and boxing as ways to relax away from the stressful world of football management.

Playing career

After beginning life with local club Renens, Celestini made his professional debut with Lausanne-Sport in 1995.

He spent five years playing with his hometown club, where he developed a reputation as a technically-minded defensive midfielder.

In 2000, he moved to France to join Troyes, where he spent two years before leaving to join Ligue 1 giants Marseille. There he would play in the 2004 UEFA Cup final, where they lost 2-0 to Valencia.

The following season, Celestini moved to Spain to join Levante before moving on to Getafe, where he would enjoy a five-year spell.

In 2010, he would briefly return to where it all started at Lausanne-Sport, before announcing an earlier-than-anticipated retirement.

He was also capped 35 times by Switzerland and appeared at Euro 2004.

Management

Celestini began his management career as head coach of Italian amateurs Terracina Calcio 1925 in 2014, before taking over at hometown club Lausanne-Sport, where he also spent six years as a player across two spells.

In 2015/16, he led the side to the Swiss Challenge League, the country’s second division, which would prove to be the first of five trophies he’s won as a manager.

After spells with Lugano, Luzern and Sion, he took over Swiss giants Basel, where he led them from bottom of the table to a league and cup double within 18 months. This remains the highlight of his coaching career to date.

Prior to that, Celestini’s three-month spell at Sion had ended in disastrous circumstances, facing the sack after just eight games in charge.

He was initially suspended by club president Christian Constantin following a 4-0 loss to St. Gallen, before the club’s eccentric owner bizarrely took over as interim boss himself.

Celestini took over at CSKA Moscow in June 2025, winning the Russian Super Cup in his first game in charge.

He won manager of the month in his first two months in charge, but CSKA’s form soon dropped off after the league’s winter break and he left the club in May 2026 with a 50 per cent win rate.

His appointment proved controversial back home in Switzerland due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Style of play

As a coach, he’s garnered a reputation for tactical organisation and a structured, possession-based attacking approach.

His preferred formation is 4-2-3-1, although his systems can often vary depending on the squad at his disposal and the opponent.

While Celestini wants his side to dominate the ball, he prefers quick, vertical transitions and moving the ball forward quickly to create chances, rather than keeping possession for the sake of it.

Potential drawbacks of his approach, which are similar to that of Hayen’s, are how his side’s forward passing can often lead to turnovers, while space can open up behind the attacking full-backs.

But his sides are known for creating plenty of opportunities, all the while encouraging creative and technical players, which should suit Burnley’s squad.