New Burnley signing Josh Brownhill has 'a bit of everything' admits boss Sean Dyche

Sean Dyche feels new signing Josh Brownhill has "a bit of everything."
Josh BrownhillJosh Brownhill
Josh Brownhill

The 24-year-old midfielder signed on the eve of transfer deadline day from Bristol City, and is expected to be in the squad for Sunday's game with Arsenal at Turf Moor.

The former Preston man bolsters a unit which includes Jack Cork, Ashley Westwood and Jeff Hendrick, and, asked what he will bring to the side, Dyche said: "I think he's a team player, team thinker, can use the ball, cover the ground when needed, a modern midfield player.

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"You want a bit of everything, rather than one slot you can fill, you want someone who can adapt, and, yet again, we aren't blessed with the money to buy players who literally fit into a system, we have to buy players who can develop and learn, and adapt to a system.

"He's certainly got that open-mindedness, I spoke to him about that today, and he seems like 'okay, I'll take on whatever is needed.'"

Burnley have long been linked with a move for Brownhill, who scored the winner for North End against the Clarets in pre-season in 2014 at Deepdale.

They have scouted him for a long period, but even Dyche didn't recall his free kick: "I wasn't really looking then, to be honest, even I haven't got that big a crystal ball!

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"But we've known about him a while, and it is one of the markets we've historically used, usually because of finance - it's a more affordable market than others.

"Particularly in the last year or so, with a bit more trouble in the Championship than there was three years ago.

"Equally, it's the quality of the player, and not just that, we've often looked for players, obvious ones like Tarky, Popey, Gudmundsson, and people like that, then we've done pretty well over the period I've been here.

"And they weren't necessarily ready the moment we got them, but became ready - even Keano, people forget he was a couple of million from Man U, which now looks ridiculous.

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"So it's the ability to keep learning keep moving forward, that's a big part of it, and why our background checks are so, so important, the character of a person, that is an important factor when we recruit, and he's someone we certainly feel has a good character.

"Lee Johnson obviously trusted him to be captain as well, at a pretty young age, so I think that's another sign of the type he is.

"And, really, we want to see if he can make the step into what the Premier League is."

Bristol City boss Lee Johnson said: "I felt like I was selling my son", as the deal came to fruition, and Dyche laughed: "I wouldn't sell my son, for the record...wife maybe! I'll keep my daughter...

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"But, from the outside looking in, it suggests from his career and the trust Lee's put in him, he'd had a pretty good effort at Preston as well, but he trusts what he is.

"We'll see, different scenario here, we'll see how he settles, but we've got a good group here so they'll be accepting of him."