Former Newcastle United, West Ham United and Crystal Palace man offers 'open' response to Championship links
The former Magpies boss has been linked with a vacancy at a Championship club.
Former Newcastle United and West Ham United manager Alan Pardew has admitted he would be open to replacing Vincent Kompany at Championship club Burnley.
The Manchester City legend brought an end to his two-year reign at Turf Moor just weeks after the Clarets had suffered relegation from the Premier League when he accepted a surprise offer to take charge at German giants Bayern Munich. The Bundesliga club had reportedly shown interest in the likes of Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi and Bayer Leverkusen’s title-winning manager Xabi Alonso before making a successful move for Kompany late last month.
The Clarets hierarchy gave an insight into the decision to allow the Belgian to speak to Bayern and his subsequent move to Germany, saying: "Whilst we were initially confident in retaining our manager, the changing dynamics of the situation made this impossible. We understand the allure and prestige of a club like Bayern Munich and respect Vincent’s ambition to explore new opportunities.
“We wish only the best for Vincent and would like to put on record our appreciation for his dedication every single day he was a part of this football club. Our priority remains the stability and success of Burnley FC, and we will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure that our ambition is realised - namely our return to the Premier League. We have started the search for a new manager and will make an announcement in due course."
Former Newcastle striker Craig Bellamy has been place in interim charge as the search for a successor to Kompany gets underway. A host of familiar faces have been linked with the vacancy including former Magpies captain Scott Parker and Pardew’s name was thrown into the mix on Tuesday when it was suggested the Clarets had made contact over a possible return to the dugout. The former United boss admitted taking charge of Burnley would be ‘the sort of challenge he’d like to do’ but stopped short of confirming if he was in talks over the role.
He told talkSPORT: “It’s nice to be linked with them if nothing else. They’re well positioned, I think their squad is good enough and the ownership is well organised and has got finances. Maybe they’re in a better position than Leicester were last year to rebound.
“Whoever gets the job, it’s going to be a great opportunity. Myself, it’s the sort of challenge I’d like to do because I’d like to take the team back to the Prem. I set teams up to get back to the Prem with Reading, West Ham and Southampton, so I’d be open to it. Whether that is known or whether it’s just that rumour that’s got out, rather than an actual link.”
When asked if he’s spoken to Burnley, Pardew added: “I wouldn’t tell you if I had.”