Wales hope 'genius' Bellamy stays amid club interest

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Wales head coach Craig Bellamy is attracting interest from clubs – but Football Association of Wales (FAW) chief executive Noel Mooney hopes the man he describes as a "genius" will stay until Euro 2028.

After being linked with the Celtic job following Brendan Rodgers' departure in October, Bellamy said he was "fully committed" to Wales.

The 46-year-old signed a four-year contract when he was appointed Wales boss in July 2024 and has impressed in his first senior managerial role.

Under Bellamy, Wales have earned promotion to the Nations League top flight and, if they win their World Cup play-off semi-final and final in March, they will qualify for next summer's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Bellamy has also introduced a bold and attacking new style of play, which has caught the attention of club sides – if not a formal approach, according to Mooney.

"No [approach] but there's interest around Craig. Wherever I go you hear that because of the way he plays football," Mooney told BBC Sport Wales.

"If I was the CEO of a football club and I wanted to play beautiful, expansive football, I'd be looking at him to be frank because he is just such a good coach and he's got a backroom team around him that's fabulous as well.

"It's natural he's going to create interest in the future. We're completely prepared for that."

Former Liverpool and Manchester City forward Bellamy earned 78 caps for Wales and scored 19 goals but never represented his country at a major tournament.

That is a major factor in his burning desire to take Wales to the 2026 World Cup, and he has said that managing the national team at Euro 2028 on home soil is a "massive" incentive.

Wales will co-host Euro 2028 alongside England, Scotland and the Republic of Ireland, with Cardiff's Principality Stadium staging the opening fixture.

"I was with him at the rugby when Wales played the All Blacks [in November] and we're just looking around the stadium together, thinking when we kick off Euro 2028 in this stadium as a full house, that'll be another chapter for Welsh football," said Mooney.

"So as part of the legacy that he wants to leave for Welsh football, we would love him to stay to Euro 2028 and to lead the team.

"He's really enthusiastic about that. We live in the real world as well. If someone comes on and offers him, I don't know, the Real Madrid job or Barcelona job or the Liverpool job, whatever it is, then naturally that's interesting for anybody.

"I mean he's competitive, he's got to the very top of the game on the pitch, naturally off the pitch, he's going to want to get to the very top.

"If he plays football like we did against North Macedonia [who Wales beat 7-1 in November] then any club out there that wants to play good football and wants a brilliant young coach, I'd be surprised if he's not on their radar."

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