In focus: Burnley

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In focus: Burnley

New owners at Turf Moor as Clarets prepare for sixth season in the top flight.

Bruce Talbot

2021-08-14T05:00:00Z

Albion face Burnley at Turf Moor on Saturday afternoon.

With new owners getting their feet under the table there's a sense of change as Burnley look forward to their sixth straight season in the Premier League.

Despite only picking up two points from their first seven games in 2020/21 the Clarets comfortably stayed up and there was excitement among the fan base when American investment group ALK Capital completed their takeover at the end of last year.

There was no spending spree in the January window though, and this summer their only new faces so far have been Stoke City defender Nathan Collins and ex-Crystal Palace goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey. But manager Sean Dyche is still hopeful of adding to his options before the end of the month with wide areas seen as a priority.

He said, “You try and maximise your chances of performing so to do that you want good players and as many of them as you can but there is a limit where it goes crazy so therefore you want to find that nice level of player numbers, and within that they have to be right for the job.

“I want players who can grow into what we do and be Premier League players or who can effect it immediately. Or the odd loan, which we don't do too often, but that can affect us.”

The arrival of Collins looks like it heralds a subtle change in transfer policy with Burnley looking to recruit younger players who offer better long-term value. He may also be regarded as a long-term replacement for the highly-rated James Tarkowski, who is out of contract at the end of this season.

James Tarkowski has two England caps to his name.

So too is Dyche, who will soon celebrate a decade in charge at Turf Moor. Discussions about extending his contract are ongoing.

The new owners are making their mark in other ways with scouting and youth development overhauled. Artificial intelligence was used in recruitment with 28 players sourced through an app from around the world invited to a trial. Turf Moor, one of the last of the traditional grounds in the Premier League, has had a lick of paint too as it prepares to welcome fans back for Premier League football on Saturday.

Burnley’s strongest XI is more than capable of competing in the Premier League but if they want to kick on this season the manager has conceded they may need to have a deeper squad.

Sean Dyche's team finished 11 points clear of the bottom three last season.

One player who has been linked a return to the club is former Spurs and England wide man Aaron Lennon, who has spent pre-season with the Clarets. In a behind closed doors game against Stockport County on Tuesday, ex-Albion man Chris Wood was paired with teenage striker Lewis Richardson, who made his Premier League debut last season.

With Matej Vydra, the only Burnley player involved in this summer’s Euros, Jay Rodriguez and Ashley Barnes also in contention Dyche has good options up front ahead of Saturday’s game although he will be without the injured Kevin Long and Dale Stephens, who moved to Burnley last summer from Albion.