On one hand, Vincent Kompany’s arrival at Turf Moor to manage Burnley is quite easily understood whilst simultaneously, also being a bit of a head-scratcher. At least, both Kompany and Burnley are an unusual match at first glance but equally, both parties need each other in order to begin trending in the right direction again.Indeed, Kompany, you imagine, has his sights set on a Premier League job at some stage and interestingly, now finds himself in a role that is only 30 miles away from the Etihad Stadium where a galvanised steel statue of him stands outside the ground. To date, however, Kompany hasn't done enough in his managerial career to justify being in any conversation about who will succeed Pep Guardiola when the time comes.

After all, it’s probably not unfair to the Belgian to say that his time at Anderlecht was neither a success nor a failure, but the jury still remains out on his credentials in the technical area. Now that he is in England, however, the spotlight will be bright and opinions formed on how the 36-year-old gets on in the dugout, but the inescapable truth is that this will be an unforgiving baptism of fire in the Championship.

Burnley face a defining season in the club's history

Essentially, Burnley need to ensure an immediate return to the Premier League or else face an uncertain financial future with debts currently amounting to around £65 million following relegation.

With this being the case, the pressure on Kompany will undoubtedly be intense and immediate as the Clarets scramble around for a foothold at the summit of the Championship table. Regardless of which way you look at it, the fact is that only promotion will save Burnley from an extremely uncomfortable reality in the years ahead. So whilst the potential rewards are high for Kompany, there is also an acute sense of jeopardy that will follow the former City captain around during his first season at Turf Moor. There can be little doubt that this will be a thankless task should the going get tough, so why has Kompany put himself in this position with so much to seemingly lose?

In good Kompany in Manchester

As initially touched on, a good showing at Burnley that ends with a promotion will make Kompany a Premier League manager with a sky-high stock. This eventuality should also get him a step closer to the City job which, for a man of Kompany’s insatiable ambition, must surely be a future goal. In addition to this, Kompany’s wife Carla hails from Manchester which means that the family can slip into a familiar routine that they enjoyed from 2008 to 2019 when the defender plied his trade at the Etihad Stadium. Another point to consider is that Kompany has ongoing business interests in Manchester as far as the property scene goes with the 36-year-old having been given permission to build 75 new flats in the east of the city.

Does any of this matter? Perhaps it does and perhaps it doesn’t, but the decision to accept the job at Turf Moor does make Kompany’s life, at least in a geographical sense, a lot more convenient.

It's promotion or bust in the Championship for Kompany

This isn’t to suggest that Kompany will spend most of his time on a building site and away from Burnley's stunning new training ground recently built by Barnfield Construction, but rather, it’s something to keep in mind when considering why the Belgian legend was prepared to turn down offers from around the continent in order to sit in the Burnley hot seat. Although it should be emphasized that the Puma clothing ambassador revels in a challenge and has never backed down from hard work over the course of his illustrious career in football. These admirable character traits will certainly be tested to the maximum given that the football betting odds for promotion to the Premier League, as of the 17th of June, price the Clarets at 11/4 to go up. These odds tell a story of their own with Norwich, Watford, and even Steve Bruce's West Brom all priced ahead of Burnley in terms of promotion favourites. Encouragingly though, Kompany has already outlined his vision for the season ahead and hasn’t wasted time in telling the board what type of squad he wants to run out on the first day of the 2022/2023 campaign.

Indeed, the 36-year-old has been proactive in tackling the dilemmas that have lingered after relegation, and to Kompany's credit, the mood around Turf Moor has vastly improved since he arrived.

Yes, you can confidently say that this is a position that must have appealed to the former Anderlecht manager in terms of location, but all of that will count for very little if he is unable to deliver promotion to a club that will be on its knees if they do not rejoin the Premier League in 2023.

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