Burnley will be delighted following their victory against local rivals Blackburn Rovers last weekend, putting them in a very strong position as they look set to enjoy a long and well-earned World Cup break.

This win against Jon Dahl Tomasson's side has put them five points clear of third place - an extremely impressive position to be in considering how tightly packed the rest of the division is at this point with the 2022/23 campaign proving to be one of the most remarkable seasons in years.

There's every chance they could run away with the title after the interval, especially when you consider that the Clarets aren't at their peak yet following a major rebuild during the summer transfer window.

 

 

They surely have some money to spend during the winter window too following the sale of some key players this year including Nick Pope, Nathan Collins, Maxwel Cornet and Dwight McNeil, all of whom generated sizeable fees.

Vincent Kompany's may decide to address their goalkeeping and defensive areas depending on the futures of Bailey Peacock-Farrell, Matt Lowton and Kevin Long.

However, the former Manchester City centre-back has also been willing to give younger players a chance including Dara Costelloe and with this in mind, we take a look at two players that could make their breakthrough at Turf Moor when the next calendar year comes along.

Denis Franchi

As mentioned before, Peacock-Farrell's future seems uncertain at this stage despite the fact he's regularly part of Kompany's matchday squads as a backup to Arijanet Muric.

The Northern Irishman faces a fight to keep his starting spot though, with fellow EFL goalkeeper Luke Southwood potentially likely to overtake him in the pecking order at some point if he fails to win more game time at Turf Moor, making just five competitive appearances this term.

If he's sold, it probably wouldn't be wise to delve into the loan market for another stopper. Firstly, they have already used up five loan spots so they wouldn't be able to include him in the matchday squad without dropping another loanee and secondly, it would be difficult to see a loanee come in and be happy to sit on the bench.

If that happened, squad disharmony could arise so they should be looking at making a permanent signing in this area if they want to replace Peacock-Farrell with another senior figure.

The Clarets won't want to block the pathway of Franchi though and with this, they may decide to promote him to be Muric's understudy.

An injury to the Kosovan after that could provide the ex-PSG shot-stopper with a chance to shine at a senior level.

Marcel Lewis

Poor Scott Twine has enjoyed a nightmare start to life in Lancashire, making a substitute appearance on the opening day of the season against Huddersfield Town and nearly making an instant impact as he hit the woodwork from a free kick, but has failed to appear for the Clarets since.

If his injury issues persist, attacking midfielder Lewis could potentially be given the chance to shine, although Josh Brownhill is almost nailed on to continue starting for Kompany's men if he can stay fit and in form.

Brownhill isn't guaranteed to remain available though and this could allow the 21-year-old to claim a place on the bench before getting himself on the pitch.

Lewis hasn't made a huge impact at a senior level yet - but he has a reasonably rich CV - spending time with Chelsea, Birmingham City, Union SG and Accrington Stanley before his switch to Turf Moor.

That could tempt Kompany to give him a chance to shine in the first team during the second half of this season as opposed to sending him out on loan when the winter window arrives.