Blake: Bellamy’s collapsed Burnley move leaves Wales in ‘hard position’

Nathan Blake said Craig Bellamy's collapsed summer move to Burnley has left Wales in a "hard position" as they prepare for their Nations League A campaign. Blake made the remarks on the BBC's Feast of Football podcast.

Bellamy, 47, scored 19 goals in 78 appearances for Wales and has recently entered the third year of a four-year contract with the Football Association of Wales. He appeared set to be appointed Burnley's head coach in the summer but the proposed move to Turf Moor fell through. He remains in charge of the national team for the forthcoming Nations League window between September and November.

Ex-Wales striker Nathan Blake said on the BBC's Feast of Football podcast: "It puts Wales in a hard position." He warned: "To go away and come back is tough. It's football, people move around, but when you're saying 'I'm not going', and then you [look to] go..." Blake added: "You've got to come back after that and if you think the level of respect is going to be the same, I don't think it is."

Wales are without a win in four matches in 2026 and failed to qualify for the World Cup after losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina on penalties in the play-off semi-finals in March. Before the June friendlies with Ghana and Romania, Bellamy had said he had rejected club offers to commit his future to Wales. Weeks after Wales drew 1-1 with Ghana in Cardiff and lost 2-1 to Romania in Bucharest, it emerged Bellamy was closing in on a return to Burnley, where he worked as an assistant to Vincent Kompany between 2022 and 2024.

After it was confirmed Bellamy would not be joining Burnley, Wales assistant boss Piet Cremers left the FAW to become Club NXT boss and Chris Gunter departed his role as head coach of the under-19s to join Oxford United. Former Wales international Nia Jones said: "[After] Turkey, his first game, he famously said it will be the worst we'll ever be. It gets you excited, you'd want to go to war with him." Jones added: "The Bosnia game, he said we're going all out, but we went out. He keeps saying things, and the more you say things and don't back it up... He has got a tough job with the Nations League group, but the carrot that's dangling is a home Euros for him. "He's got a bit of making up to do now given what's happened in the last couple of months."

Wales begin their Nations League campaign against Portugal in Lisbon on 24 September before facing Denmark in Copenhagen three days later. They will then meet Norway and Denmark at Cardiff City Stadium in October and finish the campaign in November by travelling to Norway before hosting Portugal.