'Nemesis': Why Burnley boss Scott Parker believes Florentino Luis will be a 'big addition'

The 26-year-old has joined the Clarets on an initial season-long loan deal, but the deal includes an obligation to make it permanent next summer.

This isn’t the first time Parker has tried to sign the Benfica man, having also had a look at him while he was in charge at Fulham.

A tenacious, tough-tackling midfielder, Parker even went as far as describing Luis as a “nemesis” during the times he’s faced him in the past.

“The good thing is Tino’s come in and didn’t go away on international duty, so he’s probably had about a week to 10 days with us,” the Clarets boss said.

“Tino was a player I wanted to sign when I was at Fulham some years ago, he's always been on the radar.

“I’ve played against him a couple of times and he always stood out to me and has probably been a bit of a nemesis, to be fair.

“We've signed a very good player, someone who I think has got real attributes for the Premier League as well, with vast experience, played in the arena and played at a serious level.

“He brings not just his quality, but his experience too and I'm really looking forward to working with him. I think he could be a big addition for us and a big plus point for what we do.”

Luis isn’t the type of player to just add depth to Burnley’s squad, he’s going to be fighting it out for a place in Parker’s starting XI.

The Clarets boss added: “When you guys were asking about the potential of bringing players in and what the situation was, I mentioned how I don’t want to just bring players in for the sake of bringing players in.

“We needed to bring in quality players that can add to the squad, players that can improve us and Tino definitely ticks that box, so I'm pleased with that.”

Parker continued: “We've got very good competition now. At the end of the day, the hardest job as a manager at times is naming a squad of 18 on a Saturday and there's people disappointed in that. We've certainly got that.

“It's a long season. Injuries, no doubt, will come our way a little bit as well, while we don't like that. But we're going to need every bit of this squad and we're going to need to use that.

“That competition is vital for a professional athlete. I experienced that as a player myself. There's no better than when you have that real competition, knowing where you need to be at your optimum constantly because there's someone pushing right behind, so I feel we've got that.”

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