Dyche careful with transfer funds

Clarets boss Sean Dyche remains determined to bring the right players into the club, despite the extra wealth available after promotion to the Premier League.
Cash signing: Ashley Barnes is the only player Sean Dyche has spent a fee on so far in his 18 months in charge at Turf MoorCash signing: Ashley Barnes is the only player Sean Dyche has spent a fee on so far in his 18 months in charge at Turf Moor
Cash signing: Ashley Barnes is the only player Sean Dyche has spent a fee on so far in his 18 months in charge at Turf Moor

While the bigger clubs can afford the odd gamble with their vast financial muscle, Dyche and Burnley go through a painstaking process to make sure targets are ideally alligned to slot in with the group.

Dyche and his scouts take in a huge number of games, eyeing up talent, and he explained: “It’s a hotbed up here, so since I’ve been here I’ve watched more games than ever. I go to Manchester, go to Preston, go across to Leeds.

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“There are so many places round here that you can get to in a pretty quick time. We have a heavy part in the recruitment.

“The recruitment idea is not just about them bringing us a player, it’s about us all coming together. Scouts are on the road and gathering information.

“You might already know that player, but they’re letting you know form, availability, background checks, how happy are they off the pitch. They’re all the things now that go into the melting pot because, particularly for clubs like ours it’s important that we get it right.

“The bigger clubs can maybe get a few wrong because they’ve got the finance to not worry about it. But our recruitment both in the Championship, and even now when there is more finance available, it’s still important to get the right ones so we try to use a mixed group of us to all give opinion and process it down so that we get the right ones.”

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Last season Cardiff City, promoted as Championship winners, looked overseas for much of their recruitment under both Malky Mackay and then Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, and ultimately were relegated.

But Crystal Palace’s survival was predominantly based on domestic players.

Dyche noted: “How do you define it? Tony (Pulis) went in at Palace and mainly went back to the English players who had more or less got them there. There were a few twists and turns.

“Cardiff went a completely different model, spent a lot of money on European players and it hasn’t worked out so well.

“I don’t think there’s the guarantee either way.

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“I think it still comes down to the right players, the right feel to the club, the balance of the side and the mentality is a massive thing.”

He feels mentality will be vital in the Premier League, when a team which only lost five games all season could have periods where three points are hard to come by at the higher level.

Dyche added: “I think one of the big things is to not become too disappointed.

“You look at the Premier League, and barring the top probably five or six clubs, there are runs of indifference throughout the Premier League.

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“There are teams who will win two, lose three, win another two, they’ll draw one, they’ll lose three - there are all those indifferent spells.

“The ones that tend to do pretty well don’t get too dispondent, too disappointed whether you’re top, middle or bottom.

“I think that mentality is a really important thing, but of course you need quality to support the mentality.”