When Burnley missed out on a deal to bring Jackson Muleka to Turf Moor last summer, it felt like an early blow to Vincent Kompany’s promotion prospects. The Clarets needed a reliable centre-forward. And, in Muleka, it seemed as if they had found one.
“Muleka’s transfer to Burnley did not take place,” explains Jean-Willy Ngoma, Muleka’s agent. “Because there was a problem with his work permit.”
The DR Congo international, according to The Athletic, had even undergone medical tests with the Clarets before learning that the deal had collapsed. Instead, Muleka joined Besiktas. A move that saw him link up – ironically enough – with Burnley loanee Wout Weghorst in Istanbul.
Six months on, Weghorst is living a dream at Manchester United. A Wembley win and a Carabao Cup medal to show for his time at Old Trafford. But Muleka? Well, it’s been less of a dream season and more of a nightmare.
Burnley’s deal for Besiktas striker Jackson Muleka fell through
In 20 Turkish Super Lig games, he has just four goals. Five in all competitions. His most recent league strike came all the way back in September. So much for that bright start, not to mention that £3 million transfer fee.
The criticism from Besiktas supporters, Sporx say, is becoming increasingly ‘intense’. Some at Vodafone Arena already feel that the club made a mistake turning down recent approaches from the Middle East; the form that made Muleka one of Turkey’s most feared marskmen during his time at Kasimpasa deserting him in black and white stripes.
“I don’t understand,” former Besiktas forward Batuhan Karadeniz tells Yeni Safak. “Play a man from the academy. Don’t play Muleka. I don’t see any contribution to Besiktas.”
We can only imagine how differently Muleka’s life may have turned out at Turf Moor. Goals are not exactly in short supply, after all; Burnley’s tally of 68 by far and away the highest in the Championship. Muleka, one suspects, would have found form easier to come by alongside such creative talents as Anass Zaroury and Manuel Benson.
Who knows, maybe Burnley will return for Muleka in the summer. Then again, after the season from hell in Istanbul, maybe they won’t.
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