MY ACCOUNT
Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has acknowledged the Clarets were always likely to lose their more valuable players after Premier League relegation.
The 36-year-old former Manchester City defender took over at Turf Moor after leaving Belgian club Anderlecht, where he spent three years.
Burnley are returning to the Championship after spending six years in the Premier League, with Sean Dyche leaving at the back end of the 2021-22 campaign after ten years with the club.
Interim manager Michael Jackson managed to produce an initial bounce, but it was not enough to keep Burnley up as the Clarets suffered relegation on the final day of the season following a home defeat to Newcastle United.
As such, Burnley are expected to cash in on their high-profile players in the transfer window. Goalkeeper Nick Pope has already left to join Newcastle, while Maxwel Cornet – the club’s top scorer in the 2021-22 season – has also been linked with a move away.
James Tarkowski’s contract is expiring and the defender is set to join Everton, while his fellow centre-back Ben Mee is also leaving the club. Dwight McNeil, too, is rumoured to be attracting Premier League interest.
“You always have to expect that some of the more valuable players will move on [after relegation],” Kompany told reporters on Friday.
“We wish them well and are looking forward to bringing in some exciting players.
“It goes with the drop in revenue when you drop out of the Premier League and you have to expect that.
“It is a few players who have perhaps earned the right to move on.”
The Clarets are reportedly nearing the signings of Arsenal defender Daniel Ballard, as well as Milton Keynes Dons midfielder Scott Twine.
“We are close to signing a few players,” Kompany added. “There is nobody we are bringing in today, I don’t think, but we have set up a few medicals.”
While his squad seems set to undergo plenty of change, Kompany is excited to get started.
“I have been well received and I have been blending in quite quickly,” Kompany added. “I was not in a need to come to Burnley, I had other options.
“We started talking about the problems in the short term and the opportunities long term. I liked how open the ownership were.”
Kompany’s first competitive match in charge of Burnley comes on July 29 at Huddersfield Town.
