Football Season Guide

Burnley won just 10 Premier League games last season, but they managed to secure safety mainly because the bottom three teams - Fulham, West Bromwich Albion, and Sheffield United – highly underperformed. Sean Dyche’s side were the worst of the rest, but a fine run in December, when they mustered 11 points, was enough to keep them safe despite their inconsistent campaign. Having been known for their lack of investment since securing promotion to the Premier League and Dyche’s ability to get the best out of his players despite the team lacking depth, Burnley have not been particularly active in the transfer window. Nathan Collins signed from Norwich to strengthen Burnley’s defence, with Jacob Bedeau and Wayne Hennessey both joining on free transfers to add depth to the squad, while Ben Gibson’s loan move to Norwich was made permanent. Burnley’s biggest strength is in goal, but Nick Pope was unlucky to pick up a knee injury and miss out on the Euro. However, Dyche is confident that his goalkeeper could be fit for their season opener against Brighton. Burnley expect more from Dwight McNeil, who registered just two goals and five assists last season, and they need more creativity in attack, as only Fulham and Sheffield United netted fewer goals than them last season.