Scott Parker insists there isn’t a need to offload centre-backs despite the signings of Bashir Humphreys and Joe Worrall.

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Many Burnley fans have speculated that the arrival of two central defenders could spell the end of Dara O’Shea’s time at Turf Moor, amid rumoured interest from the Premier League.

But speaking on Thursday ahead of this weekend’s trip to Sunderland, Parker claimed there isn’t a desperate need to move on centre backs.

“There isn’t a need for that,” he said.

“At this moment in time with the window being open, there’s possibilities of that, for sure. It was just an area where we felt we needed to make a move on with the personnel available.

“We’ve decided to bring these players in to give us a solid depth in the squad to go through the season like we need to go through it this year.

“We’ve lost a couple of players in that area and it’s probably an area in the team we need to look at in terms of squad depth and what we’re going to need this year.”

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Dara O'Shea of Burnley hugs Scott Parker, Manager of Burnley, following during the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley FC and Cardiff City FC at on August 17, 2024 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

placeholder image — BURNLEY, ENGLAND - AUGUST 17: Dara O'Shea of Burnley hugs Scott Parker, Manager of Burnley, following during the Sky Bet Championship match between Burnley FC and Cardiff City FC at on August 17, 2024 in Burnley, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

With a week still to go, it’s already been a busy summer transfer window for the Clarets, with eight signings and a further 13 leaving.

It’s anticipated, however, there will still be further ins and outs ahead of the August 30 deadline.

“We have a massive squad and we’ve been relegated from the Premier League,” Parker said, when asked about the high turnover of players.

“There are two factors here, there is one where you need to bring the squad down for players who are maybe not going to get the minutes they want to get. At that point it’s obviously best they leave the football club.

“There’s also a situation where there are some players who don’t want to be at the football club due to the circumstances of the team being relegated and they don’t see this being the right place for them. If that’s the case, they’re probably not best suited to be here.

“That’s probably where we are due to the pure numbers we had at the start of this pre-season. It was always going to be inevitable that players would leave the football club.”