Burnley's chaotic transfer window: 15 players in, 20 sold, and one who left the club twice

Fifteen players in and 20 players out, including one player leaving twice. Just your average Burnley summer transfer window.

The dust barely had time to settle before Burnley took on local rivals Blackburn Rovers on Saturday lunchtime, just over 13 hours after the market closed. New head coach Scott Parker’s matchday squad contained 11 of his new additions — including Maxime Esteve whose loan move became permanent this summer — and looked very different to the side that was applauded off after a 5-0 victory over Cardiff City a fortnight ago.

Two wins and nine goals from their opening two games of the season had Burnley supporters dreaming of another Championship-winning campaign, with Parker inheriting a squad that looked to be the strongest in the division.

That was back on August 17: the day after the sales of Wilson Odobert and Scott Twine, the 10th and 11th exits of the window. At that point, eight new signings had arrived, including Mike Tresor and Esteve after the purchase obligations in their loan deals were triggered.

In the space of 13 days, nine more players departed and seven more arrived. This is how Burnley’s meandering transfer window exploded into life.

It was fitting that the chaotic final few weeks of Burnley’s transfer window were sealed with the announcement of their 12th signing of the summer, Zian Flemming, nearly 30 minutes after the clock struck 11:00pm — an initial loan deal from Millwall that could turn permanent for just under £8million.

Only 18 days earlier, Burnley kicked off their Championship campaign in style with a 4-1 victory away to fellow relegated side Luton Town. Supporters felt a connection with the team and the players that had been missing for 12 months. There were smiles on faces and their promotion credentials were obvious.

Between then and the deadline, a seemingly settled, united squad was disbanded and rebuilt.

Change was expected and when Parker took the job in July, he knew the reality of what he was signing up for. Sales were required following relegation due to the loss of television revenue, the large net spend of the previous campaign, and a bloated squad that needed to be trimmed.

However, nobody anticipated Burnley’s summer turning into such an unprecedented situation.

Scott Parker’s Burnley squad looks drastically different to the one he inherited (Ben Roberts Photo/Getty Images)

In the weeks following Vincent Kompany’s departure, senior club sources speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, told The Athletic that the aim was to try and keep their squad together as much as possible.

There was an acknowledgment that the group was too big but the expectation was that between three and five regular first-team players would depart to allow them to play at a higher level, and fringe players would be moved on either on loan or permanently. The number of incomings was not expected to reach anywhere near the totals under Kompany (16 and 15 respectively during his two summer transfer windows).

When Parker arrived on July 5, he inherited a squad of 36 players. Shurandy Sambo had arrived on a free transfer after leaving PSV, while Jack Cork, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Charlie Taylor had already departed at the end of their contracts, and Bailey Peacock-Farrell had been sold to Birmingham City.

As with any relegated side, sales have to be made due to the drop in revenue. Burnley would have brought in over £100million in TV revenue last season but that was set to at least half. In 2022-23, their last season in the Championship, they earned £48million.

The club’s auditors had issued a warning in the latest set of accounts, casting doubt in about the club’s “going concern” should funds not be raised primarily through player trading and salary reductions for players and staff.

After promotion to the Premier League in 2023, Burnley invested over £100million on new signings but only recouped a tiny fraction of that in sales. The two loans with obligations to buy deals for Tresor (€18million) and Esteve (€12milion) totalled €30million (£25.2m; $33.2m).

The sales of Odobert and Sander Berge were expected. They had been two of Burnley’s better performers last season and their moves to Tottenham and Fulham respectively will bank the club a potential £55m combined — the kind of fees that few, if any, relegated clubs can afford to turn down.

Club sources have since indicated that Burnley were ready to stick with the core group they had at that point, with further outgoings restricted to fringe players.

The sales of returning loanees such as Wout Weghorst, Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Scott Twine, Luke McNally and Samuel Bastien were an execution of that strategy, providing a small boost to funds and those who could not be sold permanently, such as Darko Churlinov and Michael Obafemi, were loaned out.

However, morale within the Burnley squad had been damaged far more than many at the club had realised and that unhappiness was becoming increasingly apparent.

Defender Maxime Esteve was one player that Burnley had already committed to buying this summer (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Parker had inherited a fractured dressing room. Many of Burnley’s players had signed for Kompany, who had effectively been given the keys to the club, rather than Burnley. His profile was, in many ways, a positive for a club which has always faced a fight to attract elite players in the face of stiff competition from their big regional rivals in Manchester and on Merseyside. But now he had departed to take over at Bayern Munich, that presented complications.

The 43-year-old had a variety of groups to bring together. Those who signed to play in the Premier League and had suffered relegation, like Zeki Amdouni and Berge, those unhappy after being pushed to the fringes such as Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury, and those returning from loan spells such as Weghorst and Twine.

It led to a host of players making it clear that they wanted to leave.

“You can express a view that you want to leave a club but ultimately, the club holds a value on you,” Parker said ahead of the Blackburn game. “It’s not as easy as that. There’s two parts to this moving piece. Of course, at times, there have been battles with that

“There’s a lot more voices around now. Professional footballers have a lot more advice — some good advice, some not so good — and some decisions people make are sometimes not correct, but that’s just general life really.”

Dealing with squad members looking to jump ship put Burnley on the back foot. Internally, this summer was already  viewed as an odd window. A lack of movement in June, except for clubs troubled by profit and sustainability rules, was followed by reduced business in July due to the European Championship and Copa America. It meant a lot of business happened later in the window.

Had these exits been a staggered process throughout the summer, things would not have felt as chaotic.

A 1-0 loss to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on August 24 did nothing to improve the mood and Parker, Josh Brownhill and Esteve’s comments post-match pointed to an unsettled dressing room.

“What’s going on at our place is out of my hands, it’s up to the club. Ideally, the transfer window will shut as soon as possible so we know what we’re dealing with. Some people don’t know whether they’re coming or going or what the situation is,” said Brownhill.

The extent of the overhaul and the speed of it has left those players who have remained in a state of shock. Barely a day went by without another player being ushered towards the exit or requesting not to be selected for matches because of a potential move.

The situation was summed up by Gudmundsson’s departure to Saudi Arabia, six weeks after re-signing.

The Iceland international left the club at the end of his contract at the start of the summer, returned shortly after Parker’s appointment and was then sold to Al Orobah.

In isolation, Burnley’s sales, in relation to their buy young and low, and sell high model, has been a significant success.

They tripled their money on Odobert (£30million), who joined Tottenham Hotspur, doubled their money on Berge (£25million) and Dara O’Shea (Ipswich, £15million), and made very healthy profits on Arijanet Muric (Ipswich, £15million), Zaroury (Lens, £7.5million), Ameen Al-Dakhil (Stuttgart, £7.5million) and Vitinho (Botafogo, £8.4million). A total outlay of around £40million spent on those players could turn into over £100million if performance related add-ons are hit.

Johann Berg Gudmundsson left Burnley, re-signed, then left again (James Gill/Getty Images)

The activity was laid bare in the two matches Burnley have played since Cardiff. Against Sunderland on August 24, they named two goalkeepers and three under-21s on the bench. Against Wolves in the Carabao Cup, right-backs Sambo and Connor Roberts filled in at left and central midfield respectively.

Only four changes were made from the starting XI that began against Cardiff to the team named against Sunderland, two of which were enforced changes due to injuries, but it was the depth that was exposed. Some players privately felt the performance was disjointed due to issues such as not everyone being on the same page with pressing triggers.

Of the players to depart, only Odobert, Berge, O’Shea, Amdouni, Taylor and Gudmundsson were regulars last season. Muric was back-up to James Trafford until the final 10 games of the campaign.

Burnley have been determined not to be seen as pushovers. They were not going to allow players to leave just because they demanded to. It would have set a dangerous example.

Lyle Foster was offered to Ipswich Town by intermediaries but it was not entertained by the newly promoted side. A £20million package — an initial £15million plus £5million in add-ons — was offered by Wolverhampton Wanderers for Luca Koleosho. Burnley stood firm and their valuation forced the Premier League side to walk away.

Trafford had been expected to depart all summer. Newcastle’s £16million bid was turned down in June and they never returned with an acceptable offer. The England Under-21 international will remain at Turf Moor as part of a competitive goalkeeping department following the arrivals of Vaclav Hladky from Ipswich and Etienne Green from Saint Etienne.

Josh Brownhill, in the final year of his contract, was the subject of a €4million bid for Trabzonspor, which was rejected. Benson and Tresor also remain.

Throughout, Parker has not shied away from answering difficult questions.

“Players that don’t want to be at the football club and don’t want to be around it; it’s clear that’s not what we’re going to try and develop here,” he said in the aftermath of the Sunderland defeat. “I want people here who ultimately want to be part of this and this journey, and there’s a couple of little bumps along the way.”

In terms of incomings, Burnley were largely left scrambling to add much-needed depth to the squad.

Following earlier summer arrivals, centre-backs Joe Worrall (Nottingham Forest) and Bashir Humphreys (Chelsea, loan) arrived alongside Hannibal Mejbri (Manchester United), in time to feature against Wolves in the Carabao Cup last week. A further four faces arrived before the deadline as Jaidon Anthony (Bournemouth), Jeremy Sarmiento (Brighton) and Flemming (Millwall) joined on loan, as well as Josh Laurent signing permanently from Stoke City.

There was frustration from supporters at the type of offers tabled for Championship pair Morgan Whittaker (Plymouth Argyle) and Flemming in the final days of the window. Discussions for both attackers centred around loans with an option or obligation to buy included.

Internally, the feeling is that type of deal represents smarter business than spending money up front on a player who may not work out. However, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation acknowledged that, despite the incoming fees, money was very limited, so loans to defer payments were the best deals that Burnley could offer. Money had already been spent — largely on the two pre-agreed deals — which had to be factored in and the outlay is in excess of £40million for the arrivals.

Senior club sources insist there are no PSR concerns, helped by the number of player sales made. The late flurry of incomings, meanwhile, helped soften the blow of the outgoing, easing the initial anger among supporters.

Burnley kept hold of midfielder Josh Brownhill, right (Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

There is no hiding from the fact they have lost that sprinkle of quality the likes of Odobert and Berge offered. However, internally, Burnley are pleased with the business they have done and believe they have recruited replacements who are as good as or better than those who departed.

There remain holes in Burnley’s squad, particularly at full-back, central midfield and up front as neither Foster nor Jay Rodriguez look like a 20-goal-a-season striker.

A game against local rivals Blackburn on Saturday could have dampened the mood even further. Instead, Burnley’s display in the 1-1 draw and the performances of their new players offered encouragement that their big aims are still attainable.

There will be growing pains and there was predictability to Burnley’s play in the second half after the visitors had been reduced to 10 men. However, the focus can now be solely on football, with no whirlwind in the background.

“I’m glad the window’s shut,” said Parker after the game. “There’s no denying there have been some challenges over the last two or three weeks and that’s probably why there’s a big positive for me today. There is a group here of players that want to be here. We’ll do everything in our power to keep improving, keep getting better and for us to go through the journey we need to go through.”

Burnley’s head coach has an important two weeks ahead as he can work with the bulk of his squad during the international break. He is far from starting from scratch, but he has a host of new recruits he needs to get up to speed and understand his system. Crucially, positivity is returning and Burnley’s squad are all pulling in the same direction again.

(Top photos: Getty Images)