Burnley are already looking at successors for the Bayern Munich-bound Vincent Kompany with Switzerland legend Raphael Wicky in contention to take over at the Championship side.
EXCLUSIVE via Graeme Bailey
HITC understands that, with the man who took them to the Premier League in the first place on the verge of being confirmed as Bayern Munich’s new head coach, a Burnley side hoping to return to the top-flight again in 2025 are wasting no time in pursuit of a replacement.
Owner Alan Pace is keen to utilise an analytical approach in The Clarets’ manager search. As such, Burnley may be unlikely to plump for the biggest and most high-profile names on the market, and instead cast their net a little further as they look for a coach capable of emulating Kompany’s success in England’s second-tier.
And HITC have been told that Raphael Wicky is one name Burnley are looking at.
Burnley eye former BSC Young Boys manager Raphael Wicky
Capped 75 times by Switzerland in his playing career, the former Hamburg, Werder Bremen and Atletico Madrid midfielder is now carving out quite the reputation for himself off the pitch.
Wicky begun his managerial career with FC Basel in 2017 and almost immediately won a league and cup double. He would then repeat the trick with BSC Young Boys in 2022/23.
Wicky was, however, rather bizarrely sacked by Young Boys in March despite the club being top of the Swiss Super League at the time, sporting director Christoph Spycher insisting that the team needed ‘fresh energy‘ following three successive defeats.
Young Boys would, at least, go on to claim the title under Wicky’s successor Joel Magnin, finishing 15 points clear of Lugano.
Wicky posted a win rate of over 55 per cent at both Basel and Young Boys. His time in the USA with Chicago Fire between December 2019 and September 2021 was, however, far less successful. Wicky won only 12 games, and was fired after Chicago Fire missed out on the MLS play-offs.
Wicky once defeated Jose Mourinho‘s Manchester United and Pep Guardiola’s Man City in the same Champions League campaign in the Basel dugout. He also enjoyed a lot of success at Young Boys with his possession-heavy, diamond 4-4-2 system.
Wicky’s teams tend to score a lot of goals, sling in a lot of crosses, and press very high.
“My Champions League year with Basel, we had eight games, and five victories,” Wicky recalled, speaking to Hot Time in Old Town back in 2020.
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