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After a surprisingly stellar season in the Championship, Burnley, led by the ‘Ginger Mourinho’, hope to shock the football world again.
Favourites to go straight back down to the second tier, the Clarets are working with a minuscule budget. In putting together the team that came second in the Championship last season, manager Sean Dyche hardly spent a cent. Expect that principle to continue this transfer window.
Burnley relied on having the best defence in the Championship, conceding less than a goal a game on their way to automatic promotion. To have any hope of remaining in the division, their rearguard must be magnificent again.
Dyche is looking to place his trust mainly in the players that got the club promoted last term, re-signing most of their key components in the off-season, including star full-back Kieran Trippier and goalkeeper Tom Heaton.
The acquisitions have been astute, with Michael Kightly, Matt Taylor and Steven Reid bringing in crucial Premier League experience.
The best piece of business that Burnley could do is to re-sign star striker Danny Ings. On the eve of last campaign, Dyche sanctioned the sale of then-main striker Charlie Austin to QPR, but Ings was able to step into the void. Hopefully for Clarets fans, Ings remains at the club.
Ins
Michael Kightly (Stoke City) £1.5m.
Matt Gilks (Unattached) Free.
Marvin Sordell (Bolton Wanderers) £500,000.
Matt Taylor (West Ham United) Free.
Steven Reid (West Bromwich Albion) Free.
Lukas Jutkiewicz (Middlesbrough) £2.5m.
Outs:
David Edgar- Released.
Brian Stock- Released.
Keith Treacy- Released.
Nick Liversedge- Released.
Junior Stanislas- Released.
Chris Baird (West Bromwich Albion) Free.
Marquee signing: Lukas Jutkiewicz
At the age of 25, remarkably, Burnley will be Lukas Jutkiewicz’s ninth club. The striker joins the Clarets from Middlesbrough for a fee of around £2.5m ($4.5m). He spent a large portion of the season on loan at Bolton, where he scored seven goals in 20 appearances.
Jutkiewicz will compete with fellow attackers Danny Ings, Sam Vokes and Marvin Sordell for a spot in the team. He has excelled so far in pre-season, already netting five times. The former Evertonian is every chance to shine given a chance in the Premier League.
Key man: Danny Ings
The leading scorer in the Championship last season, 22-year-old Danny Ings will be the Clarets main man in their return to the top flight. There has been persistent speculating linking Ings away from Turf Moor, and with only a year left on his contract, Burnley fans will be concerned that he might leave the club before the deadline. The arrivals of Jutkiewicz and Sordell haven’t eased the rumours.
Ings is an out-and-out striker, and a bonafide goalscorer. When Burnley is on the attack, there’s only one place you’ll find him: in the box. Dyche must do everything in his power to keep him and hope that he can score enough goals to stave off relegation.
It’s a big year for – Kieran Trippier
Named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year at right-back, Trippier has recently committed himself to Burnley, and is determined to prove himself in the Premier League. A product of the Manchester City academy, Trippier was allowed to leave the Citizens, something which the 23-year-old hasn’t forgotten.
Experienced former West Bromwich Albion player Steven Reid will provide competition for Trippier, but Dyche will give the younger man a chance to show his worth. He averaged a solid two completed tackles and two interceptions a game last season.
Remarkably, Trippier also had 14 assists from full-back, emphasising his ability to combine defensive solidity with an attacking verve. He is one to watch this season.
Manager pressure: 3/10
Hailed as the ‘Ginger Mourinho’ by Burnley fans, Sean Dyche has worked miracles to get the Lancashire side into such elite company, and as such, he has earned the utmost trust of the supporters and the board.
However, the riches of the Premer League can tempt and sway many owners. Hopefully, the former Watford boss is given the opportunity to manage the entire 2014/15 season.
Headlines that Burnley fans want to see: ‘Ings signs new Burnley contact.’
Headlines that Burnley fans don’t want to see: ‘Dyche does a Coyle and bails on Clarets.’
Headlines that Burnley fans will see: ‘Burnley relegated to the Championship.’
Prediction: 20th
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