Former Newcastle United and Chelsea star in line to replace Man City legend at Championship club
A former Newcastle United captain has been linked with Burnley.
Vincent Kompany’s impending move from Burnley to German giants Bayern Munich has reportedly opened up an opportunity for a former Newcastle United captain.
The Clarets manager is set to take over at Bayern after the Bundesliga side suffered a frustrating period as they attempted to find a permanent successor to former boss Thomas Tuchel. The likes of Xabi Alonso, Roberto De Zerbi and Julian Nagelsmann have all been linked with the vacancy since Tuchel’s departure was confirmed - but as it stands, a new manager is yet to be appointed. However, Bayern have made progress in recent days after agreeing a deal in principle that is increasingly likely to take Kompany to the Allianz Arena over the coming days.
Recent reports have suggested a £10.2m compensation package has been agreed and that will see Kompany and coaches Floribert Ngalula and Bram Geers will all move to Bayern over the next week. However, Kompany’s assistant manager and former Newcastle United and Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy will not make the switch to Germany. The move comes just weeks after the Clarets were relegated from the Premier League after a 2-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
With thoughts already turning towards who will succeed the Manchester City legend and front Burnley’s attempts to bounce back into the Premier League, former Newcastle United captain Scott Parker is said to be one serious contender to take charge at Turf Moor. The 43-year-old has been out of work since he left a rule at Belgian club Club Brugge in March 2022 but has won promotion from the Championship during managerial reigns at Fulham and Bournemouth.
Parker had a two-year spell with Newcastle during his playing career after then-Magpies manager Graeme Souness made a successful £6.5m bid for the all-action midfielder at the end of the 2004/05 season. After agreeing to leave Chelsea, Parker quickly became a fans’ favourite during the early months of his time at St James Park and was appointed Magpies captain following Alan Shearer’s retirement in the summer of 2006. However, after making a gesture towards United supporters during a 1-0 home defeat against Sheffield United, Parker’s relationship with the St James Park faithful deteriorated and he left the club to join West Ham United in a £7m in June 2007.
Reflecting on his time on Tyneside ahead of Fulham’s trip to St James Park in 2020, Parker compared his own experience with then-United manager Steve Bruce, saying: “Definitely, I have sympathy (for Bruce). It was a factor for me. I went up to Newcastle, and was playing some of my best football. Every week I gave nothing but my everything, and ended up being captain of that football club. Obviously, we were in a bit of a bad turn at the time in terms of results, but nothing that was too much of a crisis. It did turn and before you know it, I had to leave.
“It’s a passionate club, it’s a passionate city. It’s an unbelievable city and an unbelievable club at the same time. But I have sympathy for Steve, totally. He’s from that way so he probably understands it a little bit more. It (pressure from fans) can be a negative or a positive sometimes. People may find it too hard up there to go and perform. The relentlessness of it is difficult.”