£10m Birmingham City star to be managed by ex-West Ham, Celtic, Liverpool and Man City man

Jordan Jones
By Jordan Jones

EFL and Midlands football writer

Published 9th Jul 2024, 10:37 BST
Craig Bellamy is the new manager of the Welsh national team. (Image: Getty Images)Craig Bellamy is the new manager of the Welsh national team. (Image: Getty Images)
Craig Bellamy is the new manager of the Welsh national team. (Image: Getty Images)
One of the Home Nations have announced their new manager - and it affects a Birmingham City player.

Birmingham City midfielder Jordan James will have the task of impressing one of the Premier League's marmite figures moving forward.

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Former Celtic and West Ham forward Craig Bellamy has been named the new manager of the Welsh national team. The FAW have been on the search for a new manager since parting with Rob Page, and their search has seen them turn to their former captain.

The 44-year-old was a contender for the job when Chris Coleman stood down in 2018, but he missed out on the post to Man United legend Ryan Giggs. It's second time the charm for Bellamy this time around, who is expected to leave Burnley, despite Scott Parker's admission that he was looking forward to working with him.

During his playing days, Bellamy was seen as an outspoken figure who split opinion among supporters, but since retiring in 2014, he has turned to coaching. He was academy coach at Cardiff City, but then moved to Belgium to become under-21s coach at Anderlecht, where his former Man City teammate Vincent Kompany was manager.

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Bellamy worked under the Belgian as assistant manager at Anderlecht, and later followed him to Burnley as the Clarets won the Championship title. The Welshman oversaw a Premier League game last season with Kompany suspended and was appointed acting head coach when Kompany departed for Bayern Munich.

He will now have the chance of working with James, who is regarded as one of Wales' best up and coming prospects. James before turning 20 this month, has already made 11 caps for Wales, and featured in a side that beat 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia.

The future of the 20-year-old is still uncertain amid interest from the Premier League and top teams across Europe. Atalanta hold a strong interest and made a bid in January but were unsuccessful. Nottingham Forest and West Ham are the two latest clubs to register their interest.

Wales begin their 2024/26 UEFA Nations League campaign in September with their first match against EURO 2024 quarter-finalists Turkey. They also have Iceland and Montenegro in their group.

Related topics:Jordan JamesVincent KompanyMan UnitedMan CityRyan GiggsCelticScott ParkerUEFA Nations LeaguePremier LeagueLiverpoolCardiff CityBayern MunichTurkeyIcelandWalesNottingham Forest

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