Burnley boss accepts his squad needs more bodies

Sean Dyche admits his squad is “a bit short” three weeks before the start of the Premier League season.
Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

Burnley play their first public pre-season friendly at Oldham Athletic on Saturday, having only been able to bring in Stoke City defender Nathan Collins - for a fee which could exceed the club record of £15m - and Wales international keeper Wayne Hennessey on a free transfer after his departure from Crystal Palace.

The season opens at home to Brighton on August 14th, with the transfer window closing at the end of the months, and, speaking on TalkSport, Dyche said: “When the new ownership came in, they made it clear they want to build the club.

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“They’re not going to throw money in and say, ‘just get on with it’.

”So the club still has to be pretty diligent. We’re still in a particular market.

“We don’t offer contracts that many other clubs do, so we have to work hard on that side of things.

”We can’t afford many misses.

“Every player we sign, he has to do something and operate at the club.

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“It’s been tricky down the years, but we’ve found our way and we’ve got some very good players who are currently here.

“We do need to pad it out a little bit, we need a bit more quality in certain areas and we certainly need bodies in because we are a bit short.

“I’m used to working like that, so we’ll see what the market brings.

”We’re not very often in a position where we get the first draft picks because the money goes too high.

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“We’re often in first and out first! We’ll see if we can get the players we think can help us.”

When he looks around the Premier League, it’s often a case of how the other half lives, with Manchester City reportedly closing in on a £160m deal for England captain Harry Kane from Spurs.

Dyche joked: “To be honest, I couldn’t work out whether they were buying the club or a player!

“When heard that, I was like, ‘really?’ But who knows.

“He’s a top player, though.”