Burnley collected 54 points last season in the Premier League and finished at the 7th spot in the league table. Their productivity and efficiency grabbed a lot of eyeballs and they deservedly earned a lot of plaudits. However, Dyche has not lured even a single player to the Turf Moor so far this summer.
There are around 12 days left for the summer transfer window to shut down and as per one of the latest reports by The Sun, Burnley are interested in prising Peter Crouch out of the bet365 Stadium. He has one year left on his current contract and Dyche is believed to be preparing a bid of £500,000 to land the veteran striker. Crouch will be expected to compete with Ashley Barnes, Chris Wood and Sam Vokes for a place in the starting line-up.
The former English international is with Stoke City who are due to ply their trade in the Championship this season. He scored 2 goals in the final 6 games of the season for the Potters but couldn’t spark any miraculous turnaround. A player of his pedigree is likely to be tempted with the opportunity of returning to the Premier League.
Crouch has a vast amount of experience of English football under his belt. He has played for sides such as Queens Park Rangers, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Southampton, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur and there is no denying that he is thoroughly accustomed to the animosity that Premier League has on offer. He is far from being an obsolete commodity and could be an exciting option for Dyche.
The tall striker is superb in the air and despite being a 37-year-old, he hasn’t lost his clinical abilities in front of the goal. In 31 appearances last term, 14 of which were as starts, Crouch managed to find the back of the net on 5 occasions and also garnered 2 assists. He has scored 60 goals in just over 200 appearances after signing for Stoke City from Tottenham Hotspur.
He could be the focal point for the Clarets to build their attack through. Crouch still seems to have a year or two of competitive football left in him and the reported transfer fee of £500,000 doesn’t involve a significant amount of risk. Burnley need more depth in their squad and if Crouch manages to click, he could turn out to be a galvanizing player for Dyche this season.