Charlie Taylor talks competition with Burnley new boys Ameen Al-Dakhil and Hjalmar Ekdal and his admiration for "top talent" Jordan Beyer

The 29-year-old, who has been converted to a centre back by boss Vincent Kompany, has welcomed the added competition at Turf Moor.

But the ex-Leeds United man isn't prepared to give up his shirt in a hurry as the Clarets continue to close in on the Premier League.

Taylor has started half of the games in the Championship this term, adding another seven appearances from the bench, as he helped the table-toppers carve a healthy advantage over their rivals.

He said: "Competition is always good, it keeps you on your toes, doesn't allow you to slack off, but if you're in the team and you're playing you want to keep your shirt. You can only do that by playing well, by helping the team win and performing every week."

The Championship leaders made Al-Dakhil their first signing of the winter window, with the 20-year-old joining from Sint-Truiden, before Swedish international Ekdal, 24, made the switch from Djurgårdens IF.

Taylor confirmed that both have made good impressions since joining the squad in training at Gawthorpe and he's confident they'll prove to be valuable assets for the club.

"They've both settled in really well, they're both good lads and they're also really good players as well," he said. "They've slotted in well, just as all the new signings have done this season. It will be exciting to see how they do.

"The scouting is so in-depth now so the manager and the backroom staff know all about them. You can already see on the training ground that they're both top players.

"They're both very comfortable on the ball, you need to be now to fit into our style of play, they're both young so they've got plenty of time to improve and develop. They're joining the club at a very exciting time."

With Taylor Harwood-Bellis sidelined for a couple of months through injury, having been withdrawn in the FA Cup win at Bournemouth earlier in the month, Taylor has partnered Jordan Beyer at the heart of Burnley's defence.

The duo kept a clean sheet in the home victory over Coventry City, when the German Under 21 international netted a late winner, and they continued to build on their partnership in a 2-1 win over West Brom.

Taylor says he has plenty of admiration for the Borussia Monchengladbach ace as a person and a player, and hopes the club are able to turn his move into a permanent one in the summer.

He said: "I've got a lot of time for Jordan [Beyer] as a person, not just a player. He's a really top lad, he's come to a new country and a new league and he's settled in so well. He's great.

"As a player he makes the game look so easy, he's a top talent and I'll be the first to say that I hope we can make him a permanent signing in the summer.

"He's got so much talent, just like a lot of the new signings. He's a top player. In training he comes in, goes about his business, never drops his standards."