Dyche: We’re getting closer

Burnley have made six signings so far this summer, as well as tying a number of key players to extended contracts.

However, they failed with a third offer, in excess of £2m, for West Brom centre back Craig Dawson over the weekend, and despite promotion bringing with it Premier League riches, Dyche admits the Clarets have to be patient in the transfer market: “We’re still looking to add to the group, there’s a few getting closer and closer - we’re working hard to get them over the line, but nothing yet.

“I’ve mentioned it many times, all parties have to agree, the clubs first, the player, the agent - there’s a lot more goes into a transfer than when I was playing, when you were asked ‘what do you think?’ And you’d go ‘alright then!’

“The frustration is that for 18 months we had no real money to speak of, now we have, but the market is running away from us again, because we have the smallest budget in the Premier League, and we were bottom six in the Championship.

“There has to be a reality to our financial planning, it’s not just a case of throwing money at situations to get them over the line, we have to keep nipping away at it and wait for things to develop.

“Obviously we have a wider scope for deals now, but this is the Premier League, there are mind-blowing numbers for certain clubs, and the challenge is formulating a group of players who give everything, but with the quality and desire we insist upon, to go and win football matches, and do it within certain parameters and guidelines.”

Burnley won their latest pre-season outing at Blackpool 1-0 on Saturday, with Steven Reid getting his first run out since his summer switch.

However, Michael Kightly (knee) and Tom Heaton (calf) have yet to feature, and Dyche hopes to have the pair back sooner rather than later: “Kights and Tom are going ever so well, they’re coming back slowly but surely, Tom has done very well, and Kights has surprised us with how quickly he’s coming back.

“It’s just a minor knee thing, a tiny growth on his knee cap, I’ve never known it, but it had to be removed. It sounds way more serious than it is, but when they slit your skin, you have to recover, that’s all it is, it’s just a time issue, there’s no major drama.”