Sean Dyche speaks on the pending takeover at Burnley

ALK Capital are closing in on the takeover of the club, although there are still a number of hurdles to complete, including the final sign off from all parties on the terms of the deal and full Premier League approval.

ALK managing partner Alan Pace is confident of still being active in the January transfer window, even if the deal drags on beyond Christmas, and, as part of his due diligence, has discussed future recruitment plans and priorities with the club to ensure he is fully prepared to immediately action any business should the takeover be completed.

Dyche would welcome an influx of funds, having basically operated with his hands tied behind his back in the summer window, bringing only one outfield player in, in Brighton midfielder Dale Stephens.

But he isn’t expecting the sort of funds the likes of Aston Villa, who Burnley held 0-0 at Villa Park on Thursday night, have spent since promotion back to the Premier League in 2019.

He hasn’t had contact with either ALK or the second party interested in the club, fronted by Chris Farnell and Mohamed Elkashashy, and chairman Mike Garlick and the board haven’t kept him up to speed with developments either.

That has surprised Dyche, particularly as he has been in charge for over eight years now: “I don't know anymore than I am told, which is very little, which is a surprise to me as I have been here eight years and I thought I might have a little bit more knowledge.

“I am reading between the lines, I really don't know until I am put in the loop with things.

“People who have been in the game longer than me in management said they find it odd that I don't know, but that is the way it is, so I will sit tight and keep working with the team as hard as I can.

“But at the end of the day, the business side of the club is for the business guys, the board and the chairman.

“Until it changes, I will stay working with the team, and I have always kept my focus as working with the team anyway.

“I have offered many opinions over my time about what is good for the club, but my focus never goes far away from the 11 players or squad of players on any given weekend or on any given day to work well and effectively to be in the Premier League.

“My focus never loses that, but it is just that there has been a lot going on at the club, which I have had to try and fathom out and try and make work.”

Dyche saw his first managerial post ended by a change in ownership at Watford, despite leading the Hornets to their best finish in four years, and though both ALK and Farnell and Elkashashy view him as the jewel in the crown of the club, he admits he is in the dark as to what the future holds.

But if there are funds available in January, he has spoken before of evolution, rather than revolution, and he expects that to be the case: “I don't know the owners, what I have read is what you have written. It is a strange situation but that is what I know.

“Until you get to sit down with people, if there is a takeover, then you don't really know.

”It is watch this space and work diligently on possible situations if they arise.

“At the minute, as you have seen with our colossal spending amounts in the summer, I don't think there is going to be a fortune available if there isn't a takeover.

”I would be very surprised if there is, because there wasn't in the summer, so I don't see why that would change.

“But people soon forget, we have some really good players here and a very competitive group.

“The thing that is stretching the story is that we have had so many injuries.

“It looked like you ran out of players, which we kind of had, but there were lots of reasons for that.

“At one point we had nigh on 11 injuries, certainly seven key injuries, and it is very difficult to carry that.

“I have never really had much finance so I am used to working with players and trying to maximise that and that stays my focus.

”I am very proud of the players and they continue to work very hard to turn things around and you can see that with the way we have started to get results and clean sheets and the belief in what we are doing.

“If there was an ownership change and if money becomes available, then it still has to be spent on the right people.

“You don't just bring people in for the sake of it.

”We still wont have the prowess of an Aston Villa, who I think spent £200m in the last two or three windows.

”We are not going to have that prowess, no matter who comes in, I would be amazed if that happens because it would change the whole view of the football club.”