Monday 2nd September today is an important day in the Football calendar. It is that hectic phenomenon known as transfer deadline day with the summer transfer window slamming shut at 11pm tonight. Well it has certainly been a quiet summer for Burnley so far with virtually nothing other than speculation happening since the sale of Austin to QPR. Of course expectations have been dampened by negative financial statements being published in the local press from both the board and the manager. This is all being said behind the backdrop of an £8 million debt too. Not only do we look set to miss out today but there are also worries there could be some late bids for Kieran Trippier, virtually our only player of significant worth left in a squad described by Burnley media guru, Darren Bentley as ‘down to the bare bones`.
The only good news it seems is that the ‘down to the bare bones` squad is massively punching above its weight at the moment and riding high in the Championship in 3rd spot after five games.
Despite the best efforts of Danny Ings and Sam Vokes, the general consensus remains that we need a striker to plug the gap left by potential 30 goals-a -season striker, Charlie Austin. We have been linked with so many strikers now it`s becoming embarrassing but nobody is yet on board.
The latest player to be linked is not even a striker but St Etienne midfielder Guirane N`Daw. The 29 year old is more of a defensive midfielder who has also been known to play in the centre of defence. A Senegal international, he started his career in France playing for Sochaux, also playing for Nantes before moving to St Etienne in January 2011 for a fee of ?4m following a loan spell. During his time on St Etienne`s books he has also been out on loan to Spanish club Real Zaragoza and had spells on loan in the UK. You may recall he has played for both Birmingham and Ipswich.
What about strikers then? Will we see a new one on board by 11pm tonight? It looks doubtful based on recent comments by the gaffer and it looks increasingly like we could be tapping into the loan market once the summer transfer window closes. Brighton striker, Ashley Barnes was the latest striker to be linked with a fee of around £500,000 suggested but Dyche told the local press recently:
“He is one of about 15 names that have been linked with us. You sell a high profile striker like we did and then all of a sudden every striker that comes along is linked with us.
“I`ve never heard that we`ve got anywhere near £500,000 for Ashley Barnes. There are no figures from our point of view that have been banded around for any player so far.
“The club is looking at how we could structure some finance, but that (£500,000) is a pretty big figure in our world at the moment, so loans look a simpler and viable option for a club like ours at this moment in time, financially speaking.
“There has to be the idea of forward thinking as well.
“If, hypothetically, you`ve got a 31-year-old who`s going to cost you £750,000 then most chairmen and boards, and even fans, will say ‘that`s a lot of money for a 31-year -old` because you might not get a return on it. You probably won`t.
“Some of that comes into the thinking. How much could we speculate on someone who we can use for now to help develop what we`re doing now with the team and the group, but also build for something for the future.
“That investment would be looked at accordingly.”
An earlier media article though suggested Dyche expected to make at least one signing before Monday`s transfer window deadline so who knows what is going on! The same article however also said Dyche could turn to his friend and former Watford colleague Malky Mackay for help in the loan market. The newly promoted Premier League club has a squad of over 40 players so the Bluebirds could be looking to send some out on loan. Striker Joe Mason for example is expected to be allowed out and Burnley have already been linked with a move for the 22 year old.
In the above article Dyche is quoted as saying the following:
“At the moment, yes,” he said. “There are a couple of things but they will remain private for now.
“There`s one pending that we`re hoping works.
“We`ll see what the next couple of days bring.
“If we`re in a financial position to push things through, because often – not always – money talks, then we would push them through, but we have to be careful with the finances as everyone knows.”
Reading between the lines we certainly can`t expect any big names to arrive unless a loan deal can be sorted out and once again it looks like Burnley will have had a pretty quiet summer transfer window by 11pm tonight. We may have to be satisfied with our lot and accept our financial plight whether we deserve to be in this mess or not. One thing that would be intolerable would be to lose Trippier at this stage. Sean Dyche has also been deliberating on the chances of our key player(s) leaving the club:
“I think it`s fair to say at the moment the board are stable in the sense that it would take a very, very, very large offer for any of our players to leave, unless we thought it was appropriate for the player to leave.
“There might be some business going out to free up some wages for other options, but it takes other parties to agree.”
Fair enough but in Burnley`s world of pleading poverty how would this club define ‘a very, very, very large offer`? We all know the club would roll over and grab the dosh off anyone showing any ambition especially with an £8 million debt hanging over them. We just have to hope and pray that grim scenario does not happen especially with the club third in the table and it seems firing well on all cylinders. To lose Trippier now would be criminal!
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