Burnley are now preparing for their first Championship season in six years, so who are five former Clarets players Vincent Kompany should re-sign to improve their promotion odds?
The Turf Moor natives fell out of the Premier League after six campaigns last term with an 18th-placed finish. Despite their upturn in results after hiring Mike Jackson as Sean Dyche’s interim successor, the Clarets finished three points from safety after seven wins all season.
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Burnley have since tasked Kompany with guiding the club back into the top-flight after the former Manchester City captain left Anderlecht. He stood at the Jupiler Pro League outfit’s helm for three seasons, after the Paars-wit offered the Belgian his first job in management.
Kompany should re-sign some former Burnley players to aid promotion push
Kompany faces the task of bringing life back to what had become a tepid attack at Burnley under Dyche. The Clarets produced the Premier League’s second-worst record last season, having scored just 34 goals with only basement boys Norwich City netting fewer goals (23).
Dyche had led Burnley to the Championship title to secure their last promotion in 2015/16 with 72 goals that term. His Clarets side also hit home 72 during the 2013/14 campaign, as the Turf Moor natives clinched promotion as second-tier runners-up behind Leicester City.
Re-signing a clutch of Burnley’s former players could now aid Kompany’s efforts to follow in Dyche’s example and seal promotion. So, who are five he could take back to Turf Moor?
Burnley should consider re-signing Nahki Wells from Bristol City
Burnley should consider re-signing Nakhi Wells from Bristol City just two years after he left Turf Moor for £5m. The Robins raided the Clarets for the Lancashire natives’ £5m purchase from Huddersfield in 2017, following the forward spending two seasons on loan with QPR.
Wells only played 10 times with the Clarets for a total of 66 minutes and he never started a game. But the 32-year-old is a proven goal threat in the Championship with 83 efforts and 27 assists in 305 games. He has additionally struck 18 over 95, starting 56, with Bristol City.
Vincent Kompany could return to Belgium to seal Burnley return for Jelle Vossen
Kompany could return to Belgium this year and seal a return to Burnley for Jelle Vossen of Zulte Waregem. The 33-year-old produced a prolific haul in the 2021/22 Jupiler Pro League campaign with 17 goals in 30 games to see Essevee stave off relegation by only four points.
His record would have no doubt caught Kompany’s attention while in charge of Anderlecht last term. Now, the Belgian could offer Vossen another chance to prove himself at Burnley, having only played five games for the Clarets before leaving within two months of joining.
Dyche signed Vossen from Genk in July 2015 for £2.5m to help the Turf Moor natives’ push for promotion. But the forward would join Club Brugge that August with Burnley breaking even, per the Lancashire Telegraph, with Vossen citing family reasons for his swift farewell.
Danny Drinkwater could consider re-signing for Burnley after Chelsea exit
Chelsea have confirmed Danny Drinkwater will leave Stamford Bridge as a free agent come June 30 when his contract expires. The Blues had signed the midfielder from Leicester City for £35m in 2017, but the 32-year-old would only play 23 times for the west London outfit.
Drinkwater has spent time out on loan with Burnley in the first half of the 2019/20 season, then Aston Villa, Kasimpasa and Reading. He made 33 Championship appearances with the Royals last term and was key in their survival, and his experience could now help Burnley.
Kompany will need experienced heads in the Turf Moor dressing room next term with the Lancashire natives losing some of their leaders. James Tarkowski, Been Mee, Phil Bardsley and Erik Pieters are among the 14 senior players leaving Burnley once their contracts ends.
Gary Cahill could help fill gaping void in Burnley’s defence this summer
Gary Cahill can help to fill the gaping void in Burnley’s defence this summer with Tarkowski and Mee both departing. The centre-half will be a free agent from July after Bournemouth opted to release the 36-year-old, who offered a telling impact after joining them last year.
Scott Parker fielded Cahill in 22 of a possible 25 Championship fixtures from September 11 to February 8. The 61-cap England international would not feature after earning a red card at Barnsley, but had proven his worth by helping to lay the foundations of their promotion.
Burnley could boost promotion push with Brighton raid for Shane Duffy
Burnley could boost their promotion push and add depth to Kompany’s centre-half options by raiding Brighton & Hove Albion to re-sign former loanee Shane Duffy. The defender had a short spell at Turf Moor in 2011 on loan from Everton, during which he played just once.
Duffy was still striving for his senior breakthrough when the 55-cap Republic of Ireland ace joined the Clarets at 19-years-old. He has since made 132 top-flight appearances between careers at Everton, Brighton and a loan spell at Celtic, plus 132 second-tier outings to date.
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