New Burnley recruit Jacob Bruun Larsen reveals why he snubbed other interest to move to Turf Moor

The winger became Burnley’s ninth arrival of the summer on Thursday when he sealed a season-long loan deal from Hoffenheim.

The 24-year-old has linked up with his new teammates right away as part of their training camp in Lisbon.

“I expect great things and I’m really looking forward to it,” he told Clarets+.

“It’s a dream just to play in the league. I’m told it’s a tough league but I’m definitely looking forward to it.

“I can’t wait just to go into training with the boys, improve myself and hopefully do something great this season.”

Bruun Larsen had interest from elsewhere, but as soon as he was made aware that Burnley were keen, he had his heart set on a move to Turf Moor.

“We had an honest conversation about everything (with his parent club Hoffenheim). I wanted to come to Burnley and they respected that, so we found a solution at the end,” he said.

“I’m really happy everyone that participated in this agreed the things and I’m just happy.”

Bruun Larsen added: “The whole project really inspires me. I want to be a part of that, so as soon as I heard it might be a possibility I decided that’s what I want to do.”

This is the second time in his career that Bruun Larsen has linked up with Vincent Kompany, having also played under him at Anderlecht.

The Danish international spent the 2020/21 season on loan in Belgium, where he made 15 appearances and scored twice.

“I worked with the manager and his staff before and I think the boys are in good hands. I’m really looking forward to working with them again,” he added.

“I definitely believe we will increase our level as individuals but also as a collective too.

“It’s good to see everyone again. I enjoyed our time together in Belgium but now we’re happy and I’m really happy to work together again.”

Prior to joining Hoffenheim, Bruun Larsen previously spent four seasons with Borussia Dortmund, where he won the German Cup and German Super Cup, making 29 appearances in total and scoring twice.

He’s since made a further 50 outings for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, netting five times.

Prior to joining Burnley on loan, Bruun Larsen agreed a new contract with Hoffenheim that will keep him with the Bundesliga club until 2025.

Explaining the decision to loan him out, Hoffenheim’s director of football Alexander Rosen said: "Jacob is a highly gifted attacking player who brings an incredible amount of talent to the table.

“It is unfortunate that such a gifted player has only been able to show the rudiments of his potential in recent years.

“He had his fair share of playing time, but unfortunately he was not able to consistently perform at the top of his game for TSG.

"In very focused discussions, we have now come to the joint decision that a loan transfer would be good for Jacob.”