Premier League team guide: Burnley in the spotlight

Burnley are back in the Premier League after only a one-year absence.

The Clarets finished 18th in 2021-22 and dropped down to the Championship but are now back among the elite.

Survival will be the No1 priority for Vincent Kompany and his team, although they may cautiously have higher aspirations following an impressive promotion campaign.

Last season: First (Championship)

Burnley started last season slowly after a squad revamp, which saw many hungry and talented youngsters arrive at Turf Moor.

But once Kompany was able to implement his attacking, possession-based style of play and the new recruits settled in, the Lancashire outfit took England's second-tier by storm.

The Clarets amassed 29 wins from their 46 matches, finishing on 101 points and bagging a division high 87 goals — loanee Nathan Tella was top scorer with 19 to his name.

Burnley secured promotion with seven matches remaining — a Championship record — courtesy of a 1-0 win away at rivals Blackburn on April 25 as Manuel Benson struck the decisive blow at Ewood Park.

New faces

Kompany's side have been very busy in the transfer market this summer.

Silky centre-back Jordan Beyer, 23, was the first acquisition from Borussia Monchengladbach after the German's superb loan spell at the club last season.

Republic of Ireland international Dara O'Shea has further bolstered the defensive options by joining from West Brom.

And Arijanet Muric will have serious competition for the No1 spot following the arrival of England Under-21s star James Trafford from Manchester City in a deal worth around £19million.

Further forward, the Clarets have added highly-rated striker Zeki Amdouni, 22, from Basel, as well as 18-year-old winger Luca Koleosho — who debuted for Espanyol in May.

Premier League veteran Nathan Redmond has joined from Besiktas on a free transfer, while the loan signing of Hoffenheim's Jacob Bruun Larsen means Kompany will not be short of attacking options.

One to watch: Manuel Benson

Much of Burnley's exciting play in the final third stems from the productivity of their wingers, with Benson typifying that last season.

The Belgian flyer, 26, joined the Clarets from Royal Antwerp in August 2022 and enjoyed a superb debut campaign.

Injuries resulted in Benson only playing 33 Championship games but he still established himself as a classy operator with 11 goals and three assists.

A tricky and direct right-sided forward, the No17 has made a welcome habit of cutting inside and firing home with his left peg.

Premier League left-backs will have their work cut out in nullifying the threat posed by the former Genk man.

The boss: Vincent Kompany

After a two-season spell in charge of boyhood club Anderlecht, in which he failed to finish higher than third in the league, 37-year-old Kompany has risen to the fore as a manager with Burnley.

The Manchester City legend has revolutionised the Clarets' style of play and was deservedly named the 2022-23 Championship Manager of the Season.

At the start of May, the Belgian committed his future to Burnley by signing a new long-term contract which will keep him at Turf Moor until 2028. 

But it remains to be seen whether Kompany's aesthetically-pleasing tactics can have a similar impact against higher-quality opposition in the Premier League.

Information correct as of August 2, 2023