Craig Bellamy hasn't gone anywhere yet — but the FAW are already planning for a world without him. With Burnley making an official approach and Bellamy genuinely torn, Welsh football's governing body has quietly started drawing up a shortlist of replacements. Euro 2028 on home soil is three years away. They can't afford to be caught cold.
The names in the frame range from the realistic to the genuinely exciting, with a couple that would raise eyebrows for very different reasons.
The Realistic Options
Rob Edwards is available, which counts for a lot. He's highly regarded inside the FAW, and Wales were close to appointing him before he signed a new deal at Luton. But two relegations in recent seasons — Luton from the Premier League, then Wolves from it too — aren't exactly the kind of CV highlights that get a nation buzzing ahead of a home Euros. He'd be a safe appointment. Not an inspiring one.
Andrew Crofts is already in the building as Bellamy's No.2 and brings continuity. His work under De Zerbi and Hurzeler at Brighton earned genuine respect. But 'continuity candidate' is another way of saying 'nobody got excited enough to hire anyone else.'
Eric Ramsay was reportedly the back-up to Bellamy last time. His MLS record at Minnesota United was strong. His nine-game spell at West Brom, ending with the team 21st in the Championship, was not. He stays in the conversation, but barely.
Matthew Jones has led the under-21s since 2022 and brings Welsh passion to the role. The FAW will probably decide he's better off where he is for now.
The Names That Would Actually Move the Needle
Steve Cooper is the most interesting footballing appointment on the list. He won an under-17 World Cup with England — a side containing Foden, Guehi, and Gibbs-White — then took Swansea to within 90 minutes of the Premier League and Nottingham Forest all the way up from the Championship. There's real quality there. His recent track record at Leicester and Brondby (ten games without a win before he left) complicates the picture, and his salary expectations might be the deciding factor. Wales don't pay Premier League wages.
Aaron Ramsey would generate a different kind of excitement — the kind that sells shirts and gets people talking. Articulate, intelligent about the game, and an obvious Wales manager in waiting, the question is purely one of timing. If Bellamy stays through 2028, Ramsey probably gets the job then. Rushing him in now might not serve either party well.
Osian Roberts quietly has one of the most interesting CVs of anyone on the list. He's credited as the tactical engine behind Wales's Euro 2016 run, helped Morocco reach a World Cup semi-final, worked under Vieira at Crystal Palace, and has just helped Fabregas take Como into the Champions League for the first time. The FAW probably won't ask. They probably should.
Then there's Thierry Henry. The FAW consulted Arsene Wenger about him last time, which tells you they were serious. He has a genuine affinity with Wales — took his coaching badges there — and his global profile would dwarf anyone else on this list. The cost would be eye-watering. Whether the FAW can get creative enough with commercial deals to offset that is the real question. His management record at Monaco, Montreal, and France under-21s has been uneven, but no one else on this shortlist would generate that kind of international attention heading into a home Euros.
- Rob Edwards — available, FAW-approved, two recent relegations
- Andrew Crofts — continuity candidate, already in post
- Steve Cooper — strong ceiling, salary concerns, recent dip in form
- Aaron Ramsey — the future Wales boss, possibly too soon
- Eric Ramsay — back-up last time, still in the conversation
- Thierry Henry — expensive, global, unpredictable
- Osian Roberts — the dark horse who probably won't be asked
- Ryan Giggs — fan favourite, unfinished business, unlikely FAW route
- Matthew Jones — internal option, probably stays with the under-21s
The FAW would prefer Bellamy to stay and see out the job he started. But if he heads to Burnley, they face a genuine fork in the road: do they go safe and steady, or do they take a swing at someone who could genuinely capture the imagination of a nation hosting its first major tournament in 2028? The shortlist suggests they haven't decided yet.
