Clarets look to beat deadline

Sean Dyche admits Burnley’s lack of clout has made life difficult in the transfer market.
Deadline approaching: Burnley have been linked with Southampton's Dutch defender Jos HooiveldDeadline approaching: Burnley have been linked with Southampton's Dutch defender Jos Hooiveld
Deadline approaching: Burnley have been linked with Southampton's Dutch defender Jos Hooiveld

Despite promotion triggering Premier League riches - an estimated £120m all told - the Clarets have struggled to to land a number of targets.

They have so far failed with three offers for West Brom centre back Craig Dawson, while Watford’s Troy Deeney, Craig Bryson or Derby and Nottingham Forest’s Henri Lansbury have all profited with new contracts at their clubs following interest from Burnley, and James McArthur looks set to join Leicester.

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So far, seven new faces have arrived, at a combined cost of £4.25m, with the club record £3m spent on Steven Fletcher five years ago yet to be broken.

Dyche explained their difficulties operating in the market: “We’re trying. There are a couple of situations that were close and then a couple have gone away from us. People are throwing a lot more money around than us.

Money makes it work it’s as simple as that. You can’t hide the fact that money makes the transfer market work.”

Asked whether that annoys him, he added: “It’s a reality of the club that we are. I’ve got certain financial parameters to work within, it’s very difficult on both wages and transfer fees. The club has to survive, it has to move forward, it has to build for the future so it is a challenge, there’s no two ways about it.

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“But we want to try to get in what we can and the players that we think are suitable.

“We think we’ve done that so far, but we still want to add more.”

Leicester and QPR, promoted with Burnley, have spent big, and Dyche mused: “The other clubs that have come up are renowned for spending more money than us full stop. Leicester were spending a lot of money when Sven (Goran Eriksson) was there when they were in the Championship.

“Nigel (Pearson) spent a lot of money when they were in the Championship, QPR spent a lot of money in the Championship and Premier League. It’s just a reality of the market and some clubs are just used to spending and spending , and our club has not been used to that - certainly since I’ve been here. It’s a challenge that everyone has to get used to.”

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But he won’t bring in players for the sake of it ahead of Monday’s 11 p.m. deadline: “It’s counter productive to do that. We’ve got lists of players who we think are achievable both financially and the wage model and to fit the group. As it’s gone one, one’s gone, two have gone, three have gone because the numbers are getting really big. And then you’re just shifting the sands to see which ones are available.

“It’s a really tough market.

“Charlie Austin left this club last summer. Look at the figures now that are banded around for centre forwards just one summer further on. Three or four tines sometimes what a player was moving for one year ago.

“We’re just having to try to play catch-up, and we were behind the curve because we weren’t spending anything.”

• Burnley are thought to be lining up a move for Southampton’s 31-year-old Dutch centre back Jos Hooiveld.