After winning the EFL Championship last season, Burnley looks like a completely different club from their previous Premier League tenure.
Key Facts:
Manager: Vincent Kompany
Captain: Jack Cork
Top Goalscorer: Nathan Tella (19)
Table Position Last Season: 1st (Promoted)
Three of the last five Championships winners have survived relegation in the Premier League the following season. Norwich City’s previous two first-place finishes have resulted in the club finishing 20th place in the Premier League the next year. Burnley will look to follow the likes of Leeds, Fulham and Wolves in recent memory to retain Premier League status the season following promotion.
The club has a new look under Vincent Kompany, who arrived last summer from Belgian side Anderlecht as club manager. Burnley also saw a significant amount of incoming transfers that separated themselves from the rest of the Championship in terms of talent and ability. The Clarets finished the season with 101 points, ten more than second-place Sheffield United. Kompany’s side secured promotion to the Premier League on April 7th and won the league title on April 25th in a win over their fierce rivals Blackburn Rovers.
The club lost some significant players after relegation from the Premier League following the 2021-2022 season. Key centre-backs Ben Mee and James Tarkowski left on free transfers, while the club also lost Nick Pope to Newcastle, Nathan Collins to Wolves, and Dwight McNeil to Everton. Long-time manager Sean Dyche also left, now plying his trade at Everton.
Some of the most important names for the club last season include Nathan Tella, who was on loan from Southampton and Ian Maatsen, on loan from Chelsea. Irish midfielder Josh Cullen picked up the club’s Player of the Season award and Player’s Player of the Season award. Josh Brownhill, also a midfielder, was a massive contributor to the club’s league success this past season.
Kompany instilled a possession-dominant style of play last season for Burnley. Fullbacks Maatsen and Roberts are essential figures in all aspects of the club’s tactics. In more recent times, a pressing team can be accused of gegenpressing when sometimes it is not the case. Burnley focuses more on pressing the opposition without sending too many players up the pitch at risk of being caught out defensively. Instead, the club will press the opposition into areas of the final third where they can set a trap to catch the defenders off-guard. The club last season was able to find a perfect mix of attacking excellence while retaining a solid defensive structure, something that will be vital to maintaining Premier League status next season.
The biggest question so far this off-season for Burnley is can they bring back Nathan Tella and Ian Maatsen? Tella has rejoined recently relegated Southampton following his loan spell at Burnley, but given the club’s promotion, it is likely the forward wants a permanent move to Turf Moof. In fact, The Athletic is reporting that the former Arsenal academy player wants to rejoin Vincent Kompany’s side, but the price is currently a big talking point. Tella still has two years left on his contract at Southampton, and the south coast club will surely want him to stay for their own promotion push.
Ian Maatsen is contracted to Chelsea, who surely won’t be sticking around under Mauricio Pochettino. Despite a fantastic season in the Championship, the fullback will see his future lie elsewhere, and Burnley will hope it is with them. Andy Jones & Liam Twomey has reported that Burnley sent a £15M bid recently that was rejected for Maatsen as Chelsea continues to hold out for £20M. It’s thought a comprise between those two numbers could happen this summer.
Recent transfer links link the club to Sunderland’s Jack Clarke, who is currently negotiating with the Black Cats to continue his stay at the Stadium of Light.
Another question that will have to be asked… who shares time at centre-forward with Jay Rodriguez? Club legend Ashley Barnes has left the club to join Norwich City after nine years at Turf Moor. Wout Weghorst’s future at the club is uncertain, especially after a terrible cameo at Manchester United under fellow Dutchmen Erik ten Hag. Perhaps looking at some of last season’s opponents could provide an area of transfer interest. Middlesborough’s Chuba Akpom has just a year left on his current contract and will likely garner Premier League interest. Swedish striker Viktor Gyokeres who plays with Coventry is already on the shortlists of Everton and Wolves. Even Swansea’s Joel Piroe could be an intriguing option for Burnley.
If you want to guess who the club may sign this summer, keep an eye on Manchester City and Belgian Pro League players. Last summer, Burnley signed Taylor Harwood-Bellis and CJ Egan-Riley from City and seven players from Belgium. Vincent Kompany, indeed has shown his influence on the club’s transfer policy.
Burnely currently is fourth most likely to be relegated next season, according to Sky Bet. There is a significant expectation that the other promoted sides, Sheffield United and Luton Town, will likely go straight back down to the Championship. The 22/23 Premier League relegation race went down to the wire for a significant chunk of teams, signalling potential instability again next season. All three teams relegated this year were not promoted in the previous Championship season. Burnley will hope at least one side will follow that sequence again.
The club outspent everyone in the second tier last season, so it’s hard to classify their transfer strategy as “smart” or “sneaky-good,” but it was more than good enough to see them promoted. This summer, the club will have to continue to recruit players that improve the team’s overall quality. There’s a fascinating project building in Lancashire, and under Vincent Kompany, Burnley fans will indeed feel they have a strong chance of surviving relegation.