Burnley are having a productive summer of recruitment under Vincent Kompany as they rebuild back in the Championship.
After losing stalwarts like Ben Mee and James Tarkowski at their end of their contracts at Turf Moor, a young defensive revolution is on the cards with the likes of Luke McNally (22), Taylor Harwood-Bellis (20) and CJ Egan-Riley (19) added to Nathan Collins (21).
Scott Twine has been purchased to add some real EFL creativity in the final third. Again, at 22, he’s been signed with his best years ahead of him.
Samuel Bastien, 25, became Burnley’s latest arrival last night, strengthening a midfield that Kompany has eyes on revamping next.
That brings us to Jason Knight, who is a long-term target of the club, with Sean Dyche known to be keen on the Derby County midfielder in the past.
Football Insider reported at the start of this week that Burnley were preparing a bid to sign Knight and step up their interest in luring him out of Derby.
We are awaiting further developments on that move, yet it’s easy to see why Burnley want to add Knight to their midfield having landed Bastien.
Ashley Westwood is a long-term absentee, with only Jack Cork and Josh Brownhill retained from the Premier League squad. Burnley’s midfield is still threadbare and Kompany needs additions.
Knight is versatile in that he can be used out wide or even at full-back, yet the bulk of his football has come in the midfield, a position where he’s been sometimes prolific too.
In addition to that, he’s only 21-years-old, with his best years ahead of him. That appears to be the basic blueprint for recruitment at Turf Moor as Kompany looks to evolve a Football Club away from old habits and into a vibrant new era.