A summer like no other for the Clarets

Burnley’s new era kicks off in style as the Clarets sign 16 new first-team players to bolster their ranks.

A few days have passed since the transfer window closed for the summer, and now the dust has settled we take a look at why it’s been a brilliant one for Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.

Kompany joined up with Burnley after the end of their Premier League run, inheriting an ageing squad that had a dozen players with their contracts coming to an end. Furthermore, some players under contract wanted out, so what the Belgian has achieved so far has been very promising for the club’s prospects.

The new gaffer has come in, been open and honest, took his time and made the right deals that he thought would improve his team. His impact has been huge already.

Burnley have made 11 permanent deals whilst bringing in five loans. Working on a shoestring budget despite bringing in £70 Million over the summer in player sales, due to the clubs mounting debt. This meant that every signing had to be on the mark, and he couldn’t splash out on any one player.

Most of their deals included add-ons to the initial fee, but at this moment in time £4 Million is their highest paid fee. Kompany’s challenge is gelling his 16 new players together, but he has already changed the philosophy at the club, and it is his smart editions that have contributed greatly to this.

All the Summer madness has been brilliant for Burnley’s fans, with a new level of excitement that has had them buzzing for the year ahead.

To put the amount of business done in this transfer window into context, you just have to compare it to their recent past under different owners and a different manager, who wasn’t backed to the same extent.

In the eight transfer windows prior to this one the Clarets signed a combined total of 17 players, just one more than they did in this window alone.

Now let’s have a look at the players themselves.

Goalkeepers

The Clarets signed two goalkeepers this summer, including 23-year-old Arijanet Muric from Manchester City. The Kosovan international is set to be Burnley’s first choice keeper as he is a brilliant shot stopper, whilst also having the ability to act as another outfield player on the ball when they have possession. He has already spent a season in the Championship with Nottingham Forest so his experience at this level could be huge.

Joining Muric is an Italian under 20 international by the name of Denis Franchi. The 19-year-old joined the Clarets as one for the future from French giants PSG.  He is a bright prospect and has been brought in to help with Kompany’s squad depth. Having not seen all that much of the young gun, only time will tell with this acquisition.

Defenders

Moving on to the defence, Kompany started early filling his squad in this area. By the end of the window the Clarets had six new players here to help protect the goal. Starting with Luke McNally, an Irishman signed from Oxford United, a 22-year-old centre half, he hasn’t made an appearance yet but is again believed to be a player for the future as Kompany looks to add lots of depth to his squad.

Next was a fullback who can also play at centre half, CJ Egan-Riley, another future star brought in from Manchester City. At just 19 years old and playing in England’s under 19 set up, it is believed that he has a lot of talent on the ball whilst also being a shrewd defender.

Shortly after, Taylor Harwood-Bellis followed CJ across from Manchester City, but only on loan, an indication as to how highly the English centre half is rated. The 20-year-old has already locked down a starting spot in Kompany’s side and looks a real talent. Cool and calm at the back whilst also offering a superb range of passing ability. It is no wonder why he is in England’s under 21 set up. He is also another player that has previously played in the Championship.

Burnley’s second loan signing came in for the form of a Dutch fullback from Chelsea, Ian Maatsen. The 20-year-old also plays for Netherland’s under 21s. He was previously on loan at Coventry City and was a fan favourite there and has quickly been taking to the hearts of the Clarets faithful. Some stunning early displays showed just how dangerous he is, although it is hard not to mention his short temper that could land him in trouble multiple times this campaign.

The signature of fullback, Vitinho from Cercle Brugge, meant that for the first time in their history, the Clarets have a Brazilian player in their ranks. The 23-year-old has already made an impact impressing the fans. A level head at the back and tricky on the ball meaning he can play in multiple positions further up the pitch, all for a small fee seems an excellent piece of business.

Finally on deadline day, Burnley managed to secure the services of Jordan Beyer on loan from Borussia Monchengladbach. A German international in the under 21 set up and a bright star that could have a huge impact at the club. Believed to be excellent at centre half whilst also having the ability to play on both sides at fullback, the 22-year-old comes with a lot of expectation on his shoulders.

Midfielders

The first midfielder of the window was also Burnley’s first summer signing: last season’s League One player of the season, Scott Twine signed from MK Dons. This young English winger/attacking midfielder was a huge talent in League One, so it will be interesting to see if he can make the step up to Championship level and perform for the Clarets. Unfortunately, the start of the 23-year-old’s career up north has been hampered by injuries, so we have not seen what he can offer as of yet, bar the fact that he is a spectacularly good set piece taker.

Kompany then boosted his central spots by adding two big names from the Belgian league. The first of these was Samuel Bastien. Representing DR Congo at international level, the 25-year-old was brought in from Standard Liege. His career hasn’t got off to a flying start mostly being used off the bench for cameo appearances. However, it is clear what he can offer to the squad and once he fully gets going who knows just how good he can be.

Secondly, Kompany then managed to bring Irish international Josh Cullen with him from RSC Anderlecht. At just 26, Cullen was Burnley’s oldest signing as the average age of their squad plummeted. This signature was a true statement to the rest of the league. Cullen is already the pinpoint of the squad; everything goes through him as he is pivotal to the new gaffer’s style of play. Having previously worked for Kompany, he already looks right at home and is having a huge impact in every game.

After this was a flurry of wingers for Kompany, as he looked to improve his attacking options from the wide areas. Belgian born Manuel Benson was brought in from Royal Antwerp just after the season got underway. The 25-year-old has mostly made short appearances from the bench but when he does get his chances, he continuously frightens defences with his impressively quick feet. Having said that, so far, he has shown little end product which is most likely costing him a spot in the starting line-up.

Then came the loan signing of Nathan Tella from Southampton. Clarets fans will all be wishing this was a permanent deal as it is clear to everyone just how good the 23-year-old is. From the get-go Tella has had a huge impact on the side, creating and scoring goals. The Englishman looks a class above the league, but his game time is cut short usually an hour into a match. Maybe a lack of fitness, maybe just the fact he runs non-stop, hounding defenders.

Darko Churlinov, a North Macedonian international followed the line of players lured in by Kompany’s pull. The 22-year-old wide man from VfB Stuttgart excited the fans upon arrival but due to the sheer depth in that department, has also struggled for game time. Nevertheless, he looks very dangerous in possession and works hard for the team, so again, only time will tell with this signing.

Finally, a fifth player from the Belgian league made the move to Lancashire, with Belgian under 21 international Anass Zaroury signing from RSC Charleroi. The 21-year-old makes the move as another player the Clarets faithful are expecting big things from. However, he may be another one for the future as although this transfer is a recent one, he is yet to make an appearance in a squad that has gelled nicely but is tiring after a quick run of fixtures.

Strikers

In the striker department, just the one addition has been made by Kompany to round off the 16 players. Burnley spent a large part of the summer looking for permanent deals, but none seemed to materialise, leaving them with a late loan move on deadline day. 22-year-old Halil Dervisoglu joined the Clarets for a year from Brentford, where he was failing to break into the match day squad. The young forward is looking for game time but will also be very eager to show Burnley and Brentford what he can do on the pitch, when given his chance.

Overall, it has been on paper, a cracking transfer window for Burnley. Given the players that they lost and the debt they found themselves in, Kompany has managed to get every little bit out of the summer in order to assemble a great squad that could seriously challenge this league.

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