The club have been dropping hints left, right and centre that Clarets fans will need to be patient in their eagerness to see some new signings sorted out before the start of the new season.
Clarets fans will be wondering though why everything seems to have stalled with no positive news at all yet regarding our targets.
All the players will report to Gawthorpe next week for pre-season training on Thursday 30th June and the pre-season friendlies will soon be upon us next month.
Eddie Howe hinted that there could be a flurry of transfer activity the end of this month but it remains to be seen if Burnley will be involved in any of it.
One target is of course to agree a new contract with Chris McCann and yet another week goes by without a deal having been struck.
All we seem to get from the club are platitudes and lip service.
Howe told the club’s official website: ‘We have been in negotiations with Chris and his agent for a period of time and these things can be drawn-out affairs.
‘We are desperate for him to stay because he is an important part of our plans going forward and I am very confident.
‘We’re hopeful that he sees his future here. He knows how the club value him; not just us, but the supporters as well.
‘We have seen him through a really tough period in his career due to injury and I am sure everybody would like nothing more than to see Chris in a Burnley shirt again next season.’
All very well, Eddie but come on this has been dragging on for months now and all those fine words will evaporate if he finishes up playing for Horwich Wanderers next season.
So now we turn to Jack Cork and still no news. Of course things may well have been thrown up in the air with Chelsea’s appointment of new manager, Andre Villas-Boas but even so many Clarets fans will be disgusted if he finishes up playing for Southampton (or some other Championship club with more ambition) next season
If this club is unable to sign such a high quality player as Jack Cork, a player who has indicated he would be willing to play for us then we have to ask why we bother. If Southampton get their man, a club in dire financial straits a couple of seasons ago, I will begin to wish I had been born in Hampshire. If we lose Cork to one of our Championship rivals, it will say everything to me and confirm we need a change in strategy at the club. That’s before we even mention the salary caps based on turnover that could be inflicted on the club come 2013. Let’s be honest if we have not been promoted by then we will be well and truly stuffed, so let’s go for nirvana now and spend some bloody money! I don’t care if it breaks these daft salary caps to get McCann and Cork on board, we need them for a promotion push so come on sort it!
So what does Howe have to say about the latest Cork situation? Not a lot really and if you read between the lines of his last statement this week you might begin to think they are already resigned to losing him.
‘Jack remains a Chelsea player at the moment, he said
‘We have had discussions with the club and his agent, but they have just appointed a new manager [Andre Villas-Boas] and that can sometimes cloud judgements and decisions.
‘Whatever time the deal takes, it takes, and we are hopeful it will happen, but if not we do have to move on to other players because, as much as we want Jack here, we have to build a team that we want to be competitive.’
To be competitive you have to match other clubs in their bids and attract players on similar salaries. Until we do, we will never be competitive, simple as! You have to be prepared to pay more for key players of higher quality if you truly have any ambition. The fear of debt and administration is clouding the Board’s judgement too much and I truly believe until they take more calculated risks we will always be a midtable club, punching above our weight. I would love to be proved wrong and eat humble pie so come on remind me what it tastes like, it’s been so long!
So what of our other reported targets? Not good news at all!
Premier League, Newcastle enter race to sign Preston winger, Keith Treacy
Bristol City have signed Leeds United midfielder Neil Kilkenny on a three-year deal.
Derby County have completed the signing of Barnsley centre-half Jason Shackell on a three-year contract.
Bournemouth defender, Jason Pearce was sold back to his old club Portsmouth on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee this month
We have of course been linked to many other targets, but the outcome is still the same. No new faces at the club with pre-season training to start in four days time!
Patience? Well if we still have any left it will be wearing thin if no new faces are signed soon with all the other Championship clubs it seems getting their man!
Many thanks to Burnley FC for the use of the above photograph
Share this article
