Suffering relegation from the Premier League after six seasons in the top flight has marked the end of an era at Burnley.

The dismissal of Sean Dyche in April was a huge moment for the club and one that required decisive thinking.

It left Burnley at a crossroads going into the summer, especially once relegation was confirmed on the final day of the top flight campaign.

The club could have doubled down on what Dyche had built over the last 10 years or it could start fresh with new ideas and a new way of playing.

It was a brave decision to go for the latter and it’s a move that will require significant patience from supporters in order to reap the benefits of the work that has been laid this transfer window.

Of course, Rome was not built in a day and neither was Vincent Kompany’s Burnley side.

Influential players have departed such as Nick Pope, Dwight McNeil, James Tarkowski, Ben Mee and Maxwel Cornet.

All five of these players were crucial starters under Dyche, with Nathan Collins also proving important in the second half of last season before moving to Wolves this summer.

In their place has come several interesting and exciting replacements.

Young players such as Scott Twine and Luke McNally could become the future of the club, while the introduction of Josh Cullen, Samuel Bastien and Vitinho brings some much-needed quality.

But what has been most significant about this development has been that Burnley are also working under a much tighter and stricter budget than could’ve been possible previously. 

The club was not able to fully reinvest the funds it received in transfer sums due to outgoing loan payments that needed to be paid as a result of getting relegated.

 

 

This hamstrung the club in the transfer market and yet the early signs suggest that Kompany could be the man to lead Burnley back to the Premier League.

The opening day performance against Huddersfield showed the most promise.

While the defeat to Watford was frustrating, and more days like it may yet come during this process, it would be worth it to get the team firing more consistently like during that dominant win over the Terriers.

While Burnley were happy to stick to their ways in the Premier League, the club may need a year or two of adaptation in the Championship to thrive longer-term in the top flight.