Carving a Way Back
The Clarets' Premier League survival streak came to a halt at six with Burnley falling 2-1 to Newcastle United on the final day of the season.
The revival begins now for a team that has not experienced what it is like to be a club in the Championship since it took first place back in the 2015-16 season.
The redemption tour just found its new leader in former Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany. Kompany is taking over as the manager for Burnley Football Club for interim boss Mike Jackson who guided the Clarets in the final eight contests of the season.
On April 15, Burnley made one of the boldest moves at the football club by sacking long-term manager Sean Dyche following 10 years at the club.
His sacking could be looked at as one of the reasons why Burnley ended up falling to the second-tier of English football on the final matchday of the season. He helped guide the Clarets to promotion twice, and a Championship title in 2016, but an early FA Cup exit and seven straight matches without a win led Dyche to be without a job for the first time in 10 years.
Despite the questionable decision, Burnley has moved on to the next chapter of the football club by hiring Kompany to help lead this team in the unfamiliar waters of a league that could find the Clarets without some of their regular faces over the past few seasons.
C/O: Getty Images
After Kompany was appointed, he spoke on the decision, stating, "...when I laid out all of the offers on the table, some were perhaps more appealing in terms of name and what they would represent to the wider public, but I had a chance to look in great depth into everything that Burnley is. I looked at what Burnley wanted to achieve and I'm not saying it's easy, but I saw a path which was different than that at other places."
He continued, "I see a plan and I see good people. I want to work with people that are already at Burnley, I'm allowed to bring good people with me as well, and together we don't have to change everything...To make a long answer short, I've chosen this project because I know that after a difficult start will come an incredible future."
It is going to be a culture shock when the Championship season rolls around and Burnley does not possess the quality of players that it had over the past few seasons. Kompany considered Bundesliga side Borussia Monchengladbach, but the opportunity to galvanize a team around one goal of getting back to the Premier League was a reason that Kompany could not pass up.
Parachute payments from the top-flight will help ease the blow of a tough relegation on the final day of the season, and the attraction of a young and up incoming manager like Kompany could persuade some individuals from choosing Burnley over a few other options around England and Europe.
Both Ben Mee and James Tarkowski announced that they will leave the club as part of a summer exodus of 14 senior and under-23 players. The Burnley legend Ben Mee made over 350 appearances since joining the club on a permanent basis in the winter of 2012.
Tarkowski looks bound for Everton with a signing essentially complete, but an announcement has not been made yet as the other 13 players look to find a new home after the inevitable finally came true.
Arguably the Clarets' most standout player during their Premier League campaign, Nick Pope has officially joined Newcastle United on a four-year deal. Eddie Howe is keen on bringing his team to the top half of the table and signing Pope who has the hope of becoming Gareth Southgate's number one goalkeeper on the national team.
C/O: Reuters
On the more positive side for the Clarets, defensive midfielder Jack Cork agreed to extend his contract and stay at Turf Moor for another two seasons. Having a player who has competed in over 200 matches in a Burley uniform is a massive boost to a team that has lost a multitude of its key players following relegation.
MK Dons attacking midfielder Scott Twine has been one of the players that the Clarets are interested in despite Hull City trying to acquire the player that helped nearly lift MK Dons out of League One this past season.
England under-21 international Taylor Harwood-Bellis has become the priority signing for Kompany after a lot of defenders departed on free transfers after the conclusion of the season. Harwood-Bellis was coached by Kompany at Anderlecht during the first half of last season, collecting two assists. His connections with Kompany already put Burnley as the team that is currently winning the race for a quality young piece to bring the Clarets back to the top flight. Burnley is trying to bring another player that Kompany has coached in the past, Majeed Ashimeru according to Sacha Tavolieri. Ashimeru joined Anderlecht on a permanent deal in the summer of 2021 from Red Bull Salzburg. With a manager like Kompany who has just arrived at Turf Moor this past week, there could be a lot of players wanting to play for a Manchester City legend over a lot of other Championship competitors.
Even with the parachute payments, the Championship is a completely different beast than what the Premier League provides each club. The acquisition of one of the most well-respected, and intelligent managers in Europe brings some solidity to a club trying to lift itself back up from a season that is going to be tough to swallow. Kompany knows how to build a team up after losing some of its best players, and just like in Belgium, he wants to create a more youthful team to be able to construct a solid foundation to seek vengeance following a sour ending to the 2021-22 season.
As a star on the international stage when he was a player, Kompany has plenty of contacts that helps him support the goal of becoming a high-pressure and intense team. Kompany demonstrated to his players the bigger picture of where the team is going to be heading in the near future. With an academy not up to par with the rest of the teams he wants to compete within England, Kompany has to look all around the continent to form the type of team he desires. With a visionary on board in Turf Moor, Burnley has to be willing to strap in for the ride.
While it may take some time for the team that Kompany wants to construct to take shape and succeed, he has shown that with time, his philosophy is successful. The Clarets may not have as much money to spend as they would like, but with the appeal of playing for a quality manager like Kompany, it could be difficult for players to decline that option. With Burnley still trying to find the new captain of the club, and a centerback pairing for the future, the task that Kompany completed in Belgium could be even more difficult in England in one of the most competitive leagues in all of Europe.
