Scouting the Promoted Sides: Burnley

Burnley claimed top spot in the Championship and automatic promotion to the Premier League in style in 2015/16. Not only did they manage to keep 20 clean sheets but they also fired in 72 goals, the highest tally of any Championship side. Here is my look at some of their key assets to consider drafting in. 

Forwards

Andre Gray 

The Championship’s top goalscorer with 23 goals and 7 assists and Burnley Player of the Year is an obvious candidate for a budget forward role. Based on his role in the team during 2015/16, if Burnley are to score there is a high chance it will be through Gray.

Pace is key to his success and he could profit in matches where opponents push high up the pitch and are left exposed to his counter-attacking play.

But I am hesitant to fully endorse Burnley’s star forward. Like many strikers he thrives on confidence and when this is lacking he can go missing for entire games. More worryingly, though, he struggled against the better teams of the Championship: just four of his 23 Burnley goals came against sides finishing in the top eight, while the five times he scored twice or more came playing teams finishing 18th or lower.

Penalties are also not fully assured, with Gray taking those he wins (four scored, one miss) while any others go to Sam Vokes (three scored). A young, ambitious rising star, he will relish the opportunity and can be deadly when in form although he does come with significant caveats around whether he can score against the Premier League’s better sides. Given previous valuations for prolific strikers from promoted sides, a Fantasy Premier League price tag of 6.0 looks likely.

Sam Vokes

Strike partner and next-door neighbour of Gray, Vokes is loved by fans for his contributions to their two most recent promotions and was unlucky to sit out most of Burnley’s 14/15 Premier League season due to injury, unable to find attacking returns in just five tail-end-of-the-season starts.

With 15 goals and four assists in Burnley’s 15/16 promotion season, Vokes can be found in and around the box ready to pounce; however, like when paired with Danny Ings before, he will be overlooked by most in favour of his higher scoring strike partner Gray.

Vokes’s strength may come in his price. He is likely to be cheaper than Gray with a valuation of around 5.5 likely. As with Odion Ighalo at Watford, Vokes could be an under-the-radar surprise package for early investors.

Midfielders

George Boyd 

Boyd proved a very popular fifth midfielder among FPL managers following a move to Burnley from Hull in the 2014/15 season, when his price had sunk to as low as 4.4. He scored five goals and two assists in that Premier League season and carried on delivering respectable returns with five goals and five assists in the Championship in 2015/16. The consensus among many Burnley fans is that Boyd can do even better, although his performances did improve at the end of the season.

Given his popularity in the 2014/15 season Boyd may not start at 4.5, with a valuation of 5.0 possible. But if he can bring his ‘A’ game to the Premier League that could still be money well spent.

Scott Arfield

In the 2014/15 Premier League season Arfield’s returns were meagre, as he mustered just two goals and one assist. This proved frustrating after attracting interest from Fantasy managers by scoring Burnley’s first home goal of that season against Chelsea.

In the Championship there was an upturn in performance; he registered eight goals and six assists, which put him as the third best source of goals behind Gray and Vokes. Impressive goals from range are his speciality and if priced kindly at 5.o or below, he has strong potential to be a good fifth midfield option.

The Defence

Michael Keane

The former Manchester United loanee centre-back offers points potential at both ends of the pitch, having scored five goals over the season.

He brings his strength in the air into set pieces where all of these five goals have come from (four corners and one free kick), with four being headers. Combined with a cool head, which saw him earn just three yellow cards all season, he will be a popular budget defensive pick if placed in the 4.5 bracket.

Tom Heaton

A place in England’s Euro 2016 squad is testament to Heaton’s skill as a goalkeeper. He also has the Premier League pedigree to give investors assurance. In Burnley’s 2014/15 top-flight season, Heaton was the highest scoring of the 4.5 initial value stoppers after earning 10 clean sheets, the same as David De Gea of Manchester United. He also made 130 saves, the third highest that season, and saved two penalties.

Home form was key in the Premier League, with seven of his clean sheets coming at Turf Moor. This makes him an ideal candidate for those who favour home and away rotation from cheap keepers.