Vincent Kompany: ‘I don’t know which one but Burnley has the next £100m footballer’
He couldn’t tell us which player, but Burnley boss Vincent Kompany believes “the next £100million player” is in his squad.
The Clarets have recruited heavily over the summer following their promotion back to the Premier League, with the squad almost unrecognisable from the one that was relegated last May.
Burnley have added three more players since their last match against Manchester City two weeks ago, bringing in Aston Villa youngster Aaron Ramsey, French teenager Wilson Odobert and Belgium defender Hannes Delcroix.
Ahead of Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa, Kompany said: “I tell our players I’m convinced we’ve got the next £100million player in our team somewhere. I don’t know which one but there’s going to be one of them that’s going to make this jump.”
Of his latest recruits, Kompany said: “An extremely talented, I think, crop of players we’ve brought in.
“Aaron and Wilson are probably the younger ones that have a bright future. We have no doubt they will be really exciting players to watch for our fans and any neutral fan that likes good football players.
“Then, in terms of Hannes, a little bit more senior, a little bit more experienced, Belgian international, someone that’s played European games and with the physicality that’s required for the Premier League. We’re excited to welcome them.”
The trio join the likes of James Trafford, Dara O’Shea, Jordan Beyer, Sander Berge, Luca Koleosho and Zeki Amdouni, who all started the 3-0 defeat against City.
And Burnley may not be done yet, with Kompany saying: “We’ve really been able to attract a lot of players that we thought were going to be really exciting for us to work with in the short term and in the long term.
“We’ve definitely grown everywhere within the club but, if we can add to it, I think we’re not going to turn it down.”
Kompany welcomes the selection difficulties that such an influx of players brings, saying: “I would love it to be as tricky as possible.
“We as a club embrace competition, we feel that this is the way that you get progress and development. The players are really together and helping each other get better.”
He believes they were helped by the postponement of last weekend’s scheduled trip to Luton because of the redevelopment of Kenilworth Road.
“It was massive for us,” he said. “We’ll play the games we have to play but, at this moment in time, to have a little bit more time, it’s important for us. We had the chance to stop the clock a little bit.
“But, when you’ve done the two weeks, I think you’re eager to start again and see if you’ve made steps. I think the boys gave a good account of themselves in the last game.
“You can’t talk yourself into cohesion. But I think, if the characters and the mentality are right, you can cut that time a little bit.
“But we’re embracing the next challenge and, if we win, we’ll learn from it, and, if we lose, we’ll learn from it. But the goal is certainly to be the best version of ourselves again.”
