Burnley’s focus has now shifted to the Premier League transfer market following an extraordinary 100-point season in the Championship, and fans will be waiting with bated breath to see who they’ll welcome to Turf Moor in the coming months.
The Clarets were unable to win the Championship title due to Leeds United’s last-gasp winner at Plymouth Argyle on the final day of the season, resulting in the Yorkshire outfit winning the ‘War of the Roses’, but the bottom line is that the Lancashire side will remain in the top flight next season, and spending will be expected in order to stay in the Premier League.
Money has already been spent to convert loan deals for Jaidon Anthony, Marcus Edwards, Zian Flemming, and Bashir Humphreys into permanent squad members, but the Clarets will still have a pot of money to spend on potential incomings – and manager Scott Parker should look to replicate a simple £500,000 masterstroke that he oversaw in the summer, albeit on a much larger scale due to an increased budget.
Scott Parker struck a transfer masterstroke when Josh Laurent signed.
The Clarets’ summer transfer window last time out was dominated by outgoings, with the likes of Sander Berge, Wilson Odobert, Dara O’Shea and Arijanet Muric all departing the club to give Parker an uphill battle to climb – and that, in turn, saw them land the likes of Anthony, Jeremy Sarmiento and Hannibal Mejbri, which all turned out to be strokes of genius.
However, one lesser-known addition, Josh Laurent, flew under the radar – and at £500,000 from bottom-half strugglers Stoke City, it wasn’t the most encouraging signing on paper. Despite Stoke fans’ reservations about Laurent’s quality, he has consistently performed admirably for the Clarets this season, and his effect has been significant.
Laurent, a naturally athletic central midfielder, may not have the technical ability of midfield partner Josh Cullen or the goal-scoring prowess of Josh Brownhill – but what he can do that his teammates cannot is provide a physical guard while also driving the ball up the pitch with ease, before acting as a shield for Burnley’s imperious defence, which includes Maxime Esteve and CJ Egan-Riley.
Scott Parker must do that again this season to boost Premier League survival hopes.
As we all know, physicality is incredibly crucial in the Premier League, and unless you are exceptionally skilful, a lack of athleticism can be a problem for players.
With that in mind, having someone of his level beside Cullen throughout the season will be essential for Burnley’s ability to pick up points across the board with consistency.
| osh Laurent’s Burnley statistics – squad ranking | Number | Rank |
| Minutes played | 2,442 | 9th |
| Goals | 2 | =5th |
| Dribbles per game | 0.4 | 12th |
| Interceptions per game |
Laurent possesses that physicality in abundance, and while he is unproven at Premier League level, getting someone comparable to the former Reading player will be critical for Parker as he rotates through a testing regimen.
Burnley had Berge last time out, and someone with similar ability to the Norwegian would suffice – especially if they are more technical on the ball than Laurent, who has made some poor deliveries this season.
Other areas will need to be addressed, but Laurent will earn his position in the Premier League after a long career of hard work – and competition of this nature will undoubtedly be critical to Burnley’s survival hopes. If that competition comes in the form of a more expensive version of that £500k bargain, all the better.
Leave a Reply