Burnley Can Land Their Own Haaland With £20m Signing

Burnley secured their promotion to the Premier League in style as they won the Championship title with 101 points in the 2022/23 campaign.

Vincent Kompany must now build a squad that is capable of competing in the top-flight in order to avoid an instant relegation back down to the second tier and a striker is reportedly on his summer wishlist.

Ashley Barnes has left Turf Moor to sign for Norwich City on a free transfer and this opens up a spot in the roster for another number nine to take his place.

Earlier this month, Football Insider reported that the Clarets are one of the teams showing interest in Coventry star Viktor Gyokeres, who is said to be valued at £20m heading into the summer window.

What is Viktor Gyokeres’ style of play?

The Sweden international is a powerful and tall centre-forward who plays in a similar way to current Manchester City superstar Erling Haaland.

Since arriving in England from Borussia Dortmund last summer, the Norway international has taken the top flight by storm and set a new record for goals in a single Premier League. He has found the back of the net 36 times, enough to take the record off Alan Shearer and Andy Cole, who both scored 34.

Gyokeres may not be able to smash records in the top division but Sunderland manager Tony Mowbray went as far as to compare his dominant style in the Championship to the City marksman’s in the top division. The English coach said:

“He looks a yard more powerful and a yard quicker than everyone else, he’s a really confident boy. I don’t want to say he should test himself in the Premier League but who is like him in the Premier League at the moment?

“Who is too fast, too strong and too big, you would suggest Haaland is like that and Gyokeres in this league looks a yard faster and stronger than the players he plays against in the Championship.”

The 24-year-old, who stands at 6 foot 2, has used his strength, power, pace, and quality to burst past opposition defenders on a regular basis.

He ranks in the top 4% of players in his position in the Men’s Next Eight Competitions over the last 365 days in progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90, which shows that he is one of the best around at driving past players to progress his team up the pitch.

Gyokeres, who was hailed as “outstanding” and “mustard” by TalkSPORT pundit Adrian Clarke, has been in phenomenal touch this term, scoring 21 goals and providing ten assists in 44 starts in the Championship for Coventry.

This shows that the young forward has the quality to make regular contributions at the top end of the pitch and as a result, could spearhead Burnley’s attack in the Premier League next season if he is able to make the step up to the top-level.

He may not plunder 36 goals in a title-winning campaign like Haaland but his physical and dominant style of play could make him Kompany’s own version of Manchester City’s star centre-forward.