Vincent Kompany’s reputation may have emerged unscathed from Burnley’s disastrous 2023/24 campaign – jumping from relegation with England to the Bayern Munich job in a matter of weeks – but not everyone at Turf Moor has been quite so fortunate.
The former Championship champions spent over £90 million on new players following promotion back to the Premier League. How many can really be considered a success?
Sander Berge, maybe. Luca Koleosho and Wilson Odobert probably. Perhaps Dara O’Shea too.
But the likes of Zeki Amdouni, James Trafford, Aaron Ramsey and particularly Mike Tresor are heading into this summer in a far worse place than the last one, the quartet struggling to live up to their hefty price-tags for a Burnley side who were only saved from a rock-bottom finish by only an even-more dysfunctional Sheffield United outfit.
Johan Bakayoko, then, will not to be too disappointed to have missed out on a move to Lancashire. In fact, the barnstorming Belgian may feel as if he’s dodged a hail of bullets.
Burnley missed out on PSV star Johan Bakayoko
Speaking to Het Belang van Limburg, Bakayoko opened up on the discussions he had with compatriot Vincent Kompany around 12 months ago.
Bakayoko instead stayed put at PSV Eindhoven, and promptly played a starring role in an outstanding Eredivisie-winning campaign as Burnley stumbled straight back into the second tier.
“I received a call from Kompany last year,” says the jet-heeled 21-year-old. “He then explained his vision. That was nice. It was a good conversation.
“But that was last summer.”
As for this summer, reports linking Bakayoko with the likes of Liverpool and Manchester United is the reward for a season in which the Robben-esque wideman scored 14 goals and set up 14 more in PSV colours.
The Dutch champions director of football – Marcel Brands – also insists that any club hoping to sign Bakayoko must pay at least double the £17 million bid Burnley reportedly made last August (Daily Mail).
“It depends on whether he is going to make a step (forwards). The question is also which club will come?,” former Everton chief Brands tells ESPN.
“We have just talked about very big clubs. If such a club comes, will you say no? We will no longer (sell Bakayoko) for 35 million euros.”
A disastrous season for Vincent Kompany
Bakayoko is not the only highly-rated attacker who held discussions with Kompany, only to end up playing his football elsewhere. Mohamed Daramy, the one-time Ajax youngster, chose Ligue 1 outfit Reims in a deal which could rise to £15 million.
“It was between Reims and Burnley. In the end, I chose Reims,” Daramy explained to Tipsbladet a few months back. “I spoke to both Will Still and Vincent Kompany, so I could hear what plans they had for me and where I could see myself.
“Kompany was a super cool guy. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t close to moving there. But, in the end, I went with my gut. I took my time and then I chose what I thought was best for me.
“Kompany is a great coach, and he had a good understanding (of me). He also taught me some things about making choices because it was a difficult choice for me.”
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