Alan Pardew has denied links to him being the next Burnley manager, but says the Turf Moor role is a ‘great challenge he would like to do’.
On Monday, reports suggested Pardew had been sounded out for the job following Vincent Kompany’s move to Bayern Munich.
The Clarets were relegated from the Premier League this season, and are now on the hunt for a new manager to lead them to promotion from the Championship.
But when asked by talkSPORT’s Sam Matterface whether he will be the next man in the dug out at Turf Moor, the 62-year-old put the links to bed.
“Well it obviously isn’t me,” he told the White and Jordan show. “Otherwise it would be officially announced!”
However, he didn’t totally shut down the suggestion of a return to management with the Clarets.
“It’s nice to be linked with them, if nothing else,” he said. “I think the squad is good enough, the ownership is well organised and have got finances to – maybe they’re in a better position than Leicester were last year to rebound.
“So I think whoever gets the job, it’s going to be a great opportunity.
“For myself, it’s a great challenge that I would like to do because I’d like to take a team back to the Prem.
“I did it, I set teams up to go back to the Prem. West Ham, Southampton. So yeah, I would be open to it.
“Whether that’s known, and that’s the rumour that’s gone out rather than the actual link, I don’t know.”
When quizzed on whether he’d spoken to Burnley, Pardew smiled: “I wouldn’t tell you if I had!”
Kompany had led Burnley to promotion to the Premier League as champions in 2023.
However, the Clarets struggled to make their style of football effective in the top flight upon their return, going down again in second from bottom.
Pardew has been out of managerial work since February last year when he left Greek Super League club Aris Thessaloniki by mutual consent.
He’s previously managed in the Premier League with Crystal Palace, guiding them to an FA Cup final against Manchester United in 2016.
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Other clubs on his CV include Charlton, Southampton, Newcastle and West Ham.
News Summary:
- ‘Obviously!’ – Alan Pardew denies links to Championship job but admits he would be keen
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