The loss of Chris Wood to a relegation rival as much as Burnley\u2019s position in the Premier League table seemed to have sealed their fate. Sean Dyche\u2019s side were stuck in 20th place and had just lost their top scorer and attacking focal point midway through the season. Now, though, Wood\u2019s January exit to Newcastle United doesn\u2019t look so bad for the Turf Moor club.<\/p>\n
In Wout Weghorst, Burnley found a more than able replacement. In fact, there\u2019s good reason to believe the Clarets have upgraded their attack through the \u00a312m signing of the Dutch striker. This is a forward who netted no fewer than 59 goals in 118 Bundesliga appearances for Wolfsburg. His pedigree is clear for all to see.<\/p>\n
Weghorst has also hit the ground running for his new team, scoring his first Premier League goal in Burnley\u2019s statement 3-0 away win over Brighton on Saturday. The 29-year-old was also a handful for Manchester United in only his second Burnley appearance, registering an assist in a 1-1 draw, and gave Liverpool all sorts of problems in a narrow 1-0 defeat.<\/p>\n
This season, the aim for Burnley is merely to stay up. The Turf Moor outfit have spent the last five seasons in the Premier League and want to stay there. Saturday\u2019s win over Brighton was enough to live them into 19th place with Burnley holding at least one game in-hand over most of the rival teams around them.<\/p>\n
If, however, Burnley can survive the threat of relegation, Weghorst is the sort of player who could take them to the next level. The 29-year-old has made an instant impact at Burnley and would surely be even more effective if Dyche had time to build his attack around him. Weghorst could be the Clarets\u2019 main man up front for years to come.<\/p>\n
Good goalscorers are hard to find and Burnley, perhaps by accident, have found one. Not only is Weghorst proven at club level in Germany, he has scored goals in continental and international competition. It is something of an anomaly that he has ended up scrapping for survival near the foot of the Premier League.<\/p>\n
It could be the case that Weghorst\u2019s physical frame makes him somewhat unfashionable. This could be why he didn\u2019t have other options further up the Premier League table, but this shouldn\u2019t concern Burnley. The Dutchman is perfect for Dyche\u2019s system. Losing Wood to Newcastle might have been a blessing in disguise.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth are very good players but I think Wout is more technically-minded,\u201d Dyche explained when comparing the two centre forwards. \u201cHe can see pictures with his back to goal whereas Woody was someone who wanted to be in the box and sniff out goals, Wout is more of an all-rounder. He can offer varying ways of playing probably because of his experience at Wolfsburg and different clubs.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Burnley\u2019s new owners have held off on investing significant funds into the club, there are some signs that the Clarets are starting to think bigger. Between Weghorst and Maxwel Cornet, signed for a club-record transfer fee last summer, Dyche boasts two high-quality attackers that would improve most teams above his own.<\/p>\n
Dyche\u2019s Burnley will always be direct in their approach, but that doesn\u2019t mean they can\u2019t become more than just relegation scrappers. Smart recruitment has given the Clarets a chance of staying in the Premier League and if they achieve that it could also give them a chance of climbing even higher up the table. Far from sealing Burnley\u2019s relegation fate, Wood\u2019s departure and Weghorst\u2019s arrival might have liberated them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The loss of Chris Wood to a relegation rival as much as Burnley\u2019s position in the Premier League table seemed to have sealed their fate. Sean Dyche\u2019s side were stuck in 20th place and had just lost their top scorer and attacking focal point midway through the season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[643],"tags":[272,76],"class_list":["post-48687","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sport","tag-featurehome","tag-premier-league"],"yoast_head":"\n