Who should Burnley target in the January transfer window? We assess the analytics

Real Metric offers tailored analytics solutions and reporting products for scouting and performance teams and works with clubs including Turkish giants Fenerbahce.

Real Metric have credentials in helping sides to make shrewd buys in the transfer market and were at the forefront of Fenerbahce’s €3.5m purchase of Kosovan striker Vedat Muriqi in 2019.

Muriqi, who was also linked with Burnley, impressed so much in his first year at the Turkish club that he was sold to Lazio last summer for €17.5m + add ons and has since featured in this year’s Champions League.

Founder Can Erdogan said, of the use of analytics in football scouting: "It still has a great potential to grow - over the next five to 10 years I think it's going to be one of the primary sources for recruitment and scouting.

"There is so much data, but people in the industry need to believe in it, starting from the management, to accept the analytics and use of data.

"It should never be the primary source, but supplementary it is a great addition to conventional scouting."

Real Metric have devised a Player similarity index, where you can pick a player, and data models give you similar players in terms of playing style and culture, then you can do further filtering.

The company is a start-up founded by Can, who studied in the United States and moved to the UK to do his masters in Guildford.

An FA level 4 coach, in the US, he lived in Philadelphia and was academy scout at MLS club Philadelphia Union, while in the UK, he was a scouting analyst with Crystal Palace for the 2015/16 season, when he first came across data - with Opta used by Palace - and saw the opportunity to create a company.

He moved to a role at Google, and has spent the last five years as a senior analyst lead, while trying to grow Real Metric.

Real Metric provide two services - a dynamic reporting platform, an interactive database that scouts can use, and filter further in more detail, while the database refreshes reports daily, based on match data.

They also offer tailored ongoing support and data, using Opta as the main source, and other data sources including Wyscout, creating customised reports for clients, using data from over 35 leagues.

Their match ratings take into consideration 250 metrics for just one match, so is comprehensive and very complex.

Taking into account Burnley's likely wish list moving forward, we asked Can to come up with a list of attacking right backs, right wingers, centre backs and central attacking midfielders/strikers, and this is what the data came back with.

ATTACKING RIGHT BACKS

Name, age, height (cms), Real Metric Analytics Rating, Market Value

Ryan Nyambe (Blackburn Rovers), 23, 183, 6.62, €1,000,000

Jeremy Ngakia (Watford), 184, 6.48, €1,500,000

Alessio Castro-Montes (KAA Gent), 23, 175, 6.20, €3,000,000

Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal), 23, 177, 6.18, €18,000,000

Joakim Maehle (Atalanta), 23, 185, 6.02, €10,000,000

RIGHT WINGERS

Name, age, height (cms), Real Metric Analytics Rating, Market Value

Franck Honorat (Brest), 24, 180, 7.88, €4,000,000

Cody Gakpo (PSV), 21, 187, 7.60, €10,000,000

Sada Thioub (Angers), 25, 179, 6.46, €3,500,000

Isaac Mbenza (Huddersfield Town), 24, 187, 6.38m, €5,000,000

Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld (Bournemouth), 23, 178, 6.28, €10,000,000

CENTRE BACKS

Name, age, height (cms), Real Metric Analytics Rating, Market Value

Sebastian Schonlau (SC Paderborn 07), 26, 185, 7.15, €1,600,000

Nayef Aguerd (Rennes), 24, 188, 6.73, €8,000,000

Harry Souttar (Stoke City), 22, 200, 6.68, €2,000,000

Mads Bech Sørensen (Brentford), 21, 189, 6.21, €400,000

Bremer (Torino), 23, 188, 6.09, €5,000,000

CENTRAL ATTACKING MIDFIELDERS/STRIKERS

Name, age, height (cms), Real Metric Analytics Rating, Market Value

Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP), 22, 173, 9.81, €8,000,000

Donyell Malen (PSV), 21, 179, 8.11, €25,000,000

Ibrahima Niane (Metz), 21, 187, 7.95, €9,000,000

Ignatius Ganago (Lens), 21, 176, 7.69, €7,000,000

Lucas Höler (Sport-Club Freiburg), 26, 183, 7.68, €4,000,000

Gaetan Laborde (Montpellier), 26, 182, 7.12, €10,000,000

Boulaye Dia (Reims), 24, 180, 7.04, €8,000,000

Roman Yaremchuk (KAA Gent), 25, 191, 6.96, €11,000,000

Dominic Solanke (Bournemouth), 23, 187, 6.77, €10,000,000

Tyrese Campbell (Stoke City), 20, 185, 6.27, €4,500,000