Sean Dyche’s Burnley completed more than a month in the 7th place in the points table, before dropping to 8th after their recent loss to Manchester United. The 46-year old has managed to establish the Clarets as the toughest club to beat, outside the top-6 this season. With a shot at European football, Burnley are now looking to strengthen their squad and one player they hope will come good is English international Aaron Lennon.
Burnley sign Aaron Lennon
Sam Allardyce, the new Everton boss landed Arsenal’s Theo Walcott in a £20m deal earlier this month. This meant that Burnley’s long-standing interest in Aaron Lennon finally paid off. Reports from several sources now reveal that the Clarets have agreed on personal terms with the player and are ready to make a move this week.
He is yet to have a medical at Burley but what will he add to the squad at Turf Moor?
Lennon and his experience
A product of the Leeds United academy, Lennon broke into the Premier League with Tottenham Hotspur, where he registered 30 goals and 77 assists in 364 appearances across all competitions, in a 10-year stint. He moved to Everton in 2015 on loan and impressed in the second half of the 2014-15 season, which earned him a permanent move to Goodison Park.
However, in over two and half seasons since then, he has managed just 5 league goals in 51 appearances. He has 21 caps for England but is no longer in the plans of Gareth Southgate, the current head coach of the national side. He has made nine league starts this season, most of which have come under Sam Allardyce and has two assists to his name.
Known for his pace and technical ability, Lennon is an old-fashioned winger, who loves to sit back, soak up the pressure and hit the opponents at the right time. He is an excellent asset to the defensive unit of the team while his creativity, vision and crossing abilities all make him a dangerous player at the other end.
He has 342 Premier League appearances in his career and if he moves to Burnley, will be the most experienced player in the top flight, in their squad.
Do Burnley need him?
The Clarets usually stick to a 4-4-2 system, with a compact midfield and defensive line. The four in the midfield are pretty crucial to the whole system as they are responsible to turn defence into attack in the very few chances that they get when they sit back and defend.
In such cases, wingers with pace are a real danger but Burnley do not have a name they can call upon in this role. Robby Brady, who is now injured, was their best bet and he is not expected to return before the end of the season and Lennon is a more than capable short-term replacement.
The likes of Gudmundsson, Scott Arfield and Ashley Barnes are the only other options Dyche has used this season and even when Brady his back, the pace and width that Lennon provides can be crucial in certain games.
But do you think he is the right man for the Clarets?