Key players, summer transfers, squad numbers & predictions

As Burnley prepared for their first pre-season under Vincent Kompany, Jack Cork suffered the same treatment as Yaya Toure.

The new Clarets coach banned birthday cakes from the training ground in one of the first acts of a hugely successful debut campaign at Turf Moor. By the end of the season, Burnley had been moulded by Kompany’s will, dramatically changing their playing style to a more patient and possession-based approach which earned first place in the second tier.

Kompany, a four-time champion with Manchester City, will be fully aware that more than a century of points and record goal tallies in the Championship mean little in the Premier League. The season definitely won’t start with cake but will there be any celebrations by the end of the campaign?

Here’s everything you need to know about Burnley ahead of the 2023/24 season.

*Burnley played in the Championship during 2022/23.

Ins:

Outs:

*Numbers subject to change before end of transfer window

Star player

Based on last season, this slot should have been filled by Nathan Tella. However, 17 goals in the Championship persuaded Southampton to spurn Burnley’s offers of turning Tella’s loan into a permanent deal as the Saints embark upon their own season in the second tier.

If Tella was at the tip of Burnley’s attacks last term, Josh Brownhill was the chief creator. Deadly from open play and set pieces, the 27-year-old coupled dexterity with industry, crunching into more tackles than any other teammate last term.

One to watch

If all add-ons are met, James Trafford will become the third-most-expensive English goalkeeper of all time after joining Burnley from Manchester City for a fee of up to £19m this summer.

England’s penalty-saving hero in the triumphant final of this year’s under-21 European Championships has never played senior football above League One. However, the 22-year-old has never been short on self-belief and will be itching to prove his worth against his former employers to kick off the Premier League season on Friday.

Home kit

Away kit

Third kit

Over the previous decade, Norwich City (twice) are the only Championship winners to go straight back down to the second tier.

However, Burnley’s owner Alan Pace is not one to rest on his laurels. “I said it last year when we finished first – we are 21st in English football. So I would like to see how far up we can take the club,” the head of ALK Capital said. “And give people hope that we can still improve. Hope is a big, big thing in life.”

The hope for any promoted side is to simply avoid relegation. Kompany’s outfit may well fulfil this ambition but how it affects their style remains to be seen.

Burnley 2023/24 Premier League prediction – 15th

READ MORE OF 90MIN’S SEASON PREVIEWS: A-F