Sport

Cardiff City boss Brian Barry-Murphy signs new deal until 2029

29 Jul 2026 2 minute read

Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy. Photo ©Huw Evans Picture Agency

Nation.Cymru staff

Cardiff City head coach Brian Barry-Murphy has signed a new contract that will keep him at the Championship club until the summer of 2029.

Assistant head coach Lee Riley and head of performance Kevin Gibbins have also agreed new three-year deals.

Barry-Murphy has been rewarded after guiding the Bluebirds to an immediate return to the Championship in his first season in charge. Cardiff secured automatic promotion from League One with a club-record 91 points and also reached the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

The former Rochdale manager joined Cardiff in June 2025 after coaching in Manchester City’s academy set-up.

Speaking after signing his new deal, Barry-Murphy said he had developed an even greater appreciation of the club during his first year in south Wales.

“It’s an amazing honour for me, and I’m really grateful to everybody involved,” he told Cardiff City TV.

“When I first came here, I had an idea of how big the club was, but over the course of the last 12 months I think I’ve probably seen it in all its splendour, so I’m really pleased.”

Barry-Murphy also paid tribute to his coaching staff and the club’s supporters.

“When I first came here, Lee Riley and Kevin Gibbins came with me. It would be impossible for me to do the job I do without those guys providing me with such support and expertise in their chosen roles.

“The energy that we’ve had from the supporters from the very first day has propelled us forward, at a speed that may have not seemed possible. Like anything, once you get things going, moving forward with positivity and with a real togetherness, great things can be achieved.”

Alongside the team’s promotion, Cardiff said Barry-Murphy had placed a strong emphasis on developing young players, with academy graduates making a combined 15,280 first-team minutes during the 2025-26 campaign – the highest total of any English Football League club.

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