La Liga Leaks: Scouting for.. Burnley

Introducing..

Burnley were the winners of the Championship last season, holding their nerve in a tight battle for the top three spots. And while Middlesborough, who finished second, have been very active in the transfer market so far it’s relatively quiet up in Lancashire.

A lot of the older members of the squad have either been released or retired which makes sense. They need to plan for the future but it’s also left them extremely light in central midfield following the departure of Joey Barton. Charlton duo Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Nick Pope are the only new additions to the squad which, if it is to survive in the Premier League, still has a lot of work to do.

Problem areas

The glaring issue is central midfield. The loss of Joey Barton is huge as he was the get-your-hands-dirty type that you need to survive in the Premier League. Dean Marney and David Jones didn’t cut it in the Premier League when they were younger and now, with both 30+, don’t immediately scream “good enough for the Premier League” to me.

Andre Gray and Sam Vokes scored a combined 40 goals in the Championship last season which is impressive. I’m not sure they’ll get as many in the Premier League but even 25-30 would be great. Elsewhere there aren’t many ‘goals’ in this Burnley side, although Gudmundsson looks a shrewd buy if he can replicate his form at the highest level in England.

Who could they sign?

The problem for Burnley is while they have the money to spend, they don’t have that name value to get the most obvious candidates. I’ve said a few times how Ignacio Camacho would be an ideal fit for the Premier League but I can’t see him swapping Malaga for Burnley - although I could be wrong!

That doesn’t mean there aren’t options out there though. Take Eibar duo Gonzalo Escalante and Dani Garcia, for example. Escalante is a young, combative defensive midfielder who is also capable of playing a little further forward if need be. He’s confident enough with the ball at his feet but isn’t a playmaker and won’t create many chances. He has an aggressive side to his game which would help his transition to the Premier League and we all know Eibar will sell.

Dani Garcia is Eibar’s captain and would perhaps be more difficult to prise away, but again, not impossible. He’s a solid option in the middle of the field but I’d place him behind Escalante in terms of priority. A great reader of the play, loves to dive in, but maybe not quite as confident as his teammate.

Even if Burnley lowered their search to LaLiga ½/3 (yes, that is the new name of the Spanish second division) they’d find Victor Camarasa of recently relegated Levante. He’s built like a tank and while raw, with aspects of his role to be refined, he’s got plenty of potential. Camarasa was linked with a move to West Ham back in January but that interest has disappeared. Yet at 22 and physically suited to the English game he could turn into a monster defensive midfielder. All three options likely to be under £5m.

For Burnley’s need of more goals in their side, particularly from the wide men, they should look at Jonathan Viera. The Las Palmas winger, comfortable anywhere behind the main striker or even up front himself, scored 10 goals and chipped in with 8 assists last season. Fast, nimble and not put off by the physical nature of the game he started to demonstrate a lot of his early promise on the Canary Islands. I’m surprised bigger La Liga sides haven’t gone in for him but he has rejected offers from abroad. It’s a tough sell but he could make a big difference at Burnley - and is available for less than £10m.