The Turf Moor outfit have failed to win any of their first seven league outings (they and three other sides were afforded an additional week of rest at the start of the season) and have picked up just two points from the first 21 on offer.
There has certainly been early endeavour from Sean Dyche’s men, but not enough in the way of points and although they have found themselves in positions like this before, there is an element of growing concern in East Lancashire.
That’s because the last time they started a campaign so poorly, they could point to their Europa League exploits as an additional weight to bear and as soon as their 2018/19 season schedule saw them free of continental participation, domestic matters picked up in double quick time.
Unfortunately, Dyche does not possess such a get out of jail free card this time and with a chronic lack of investment hampering the work he is trying to do, there are fears that perhaps the board have cut their cloth just a little too small.
While although results on the pitch have not matched any pre-season expectations, there is perhaps reason to be optimistic and with talks regarding a takeover still continuing, many supporters hope that a cash injection will soon be on its way.
An injection that was arguably needed over the course of the summer and when you consider that the Clarets spent just £11m on players during the off-season, that results to nothing more than chicken feed in today’s financial climate.
Some quarters may point to the transfer market taking on a different guise because of COVID-19, but even when you account for this, a refusal to open the purse strings has left the relationship between Sean Dyche and current chairman Mike Garlick rather strained.
A strain that could be eased, if new owners come to the fore and at a reported price of £200m, Egyptian businessman Mohamed El Kashashy and lawyer Chris Farnell may be getting themselves something of a bargain.
In addition to this, American sports investment firm ALK Capital have also been previously linked with the purchase of the club and at one time, they were believed to be the front runners in any potential bidding war.
A bidding war that if Burnley are to sell, would only increase the potential fee that could be commanded and now it will be interesting to see, just which of these two parties can move into pole position.
Because although Burnley are often viewed as the bastion of financial management in the division, there are also in great danger of being left behind and in a competition where even the ‘have-nots’ have the ability to spend at will, just balancing the books is no longer deemed good enough.
Which means the turn of the year could be absolutely pivotal for a club that is already preparing itself for the rigours of a relegation dogfight and if money cannot be handed to the manager, any hopes of top flight survival may quickly diminish.
Which then puts the question of Burnley’s actual value back into the spotlight and although £200m seems like a steal in Premier League terms, that asking price might become a little lower if they subsequently become an EFL Championship outfit the following season.
Written by Dan Tracey
