Having returned to the Premier League at the first time of asking under Vincent Kompany, Burnley’s first task is to ensure they stay there, something Clarets fans should be optimistic of.

Stadium: Turf Moor 
Manager: Vincent Kompany
Captain: Jack Cork
Top league scorer last season: Nathan Tella – 17 
Last season’s position: 1st (Championship)
 

Burnley 2023/24 odds

To Finish in Top Half – 7/2
To be Relegated – 7/2
Not to be Relegated – 2/11
To Finish Bottom – 16/1

Burnley's 2022/23 performance

Burnley went into last season as one of the most fascinating sides in the Championship. Moving away from the direct style of Sean Dyche to the possession-heavy style of Vincent Kompany, anything could’ve happened.

It took a couple of months for the Clarets to get up to speed, but once they hit top gear – which didn’t take all that long – they ran away with the title with promotion as good as sealed by the spring.

Loanee Nathan Tella had a stellar season with 17 goals, with Manuel Benson and Jay Rodriguez both reaching double figures.
 

Burnley 2023/24 prospects

It’s all too easy to look at newly promoted sides as obvious relegation candidates, but by and large, Championship winners come up and look quite at home in the top flight, with the exception of Norwich who’ve always seemed content in going back down.

Fulham, Leeds, Wolves and Newcastle all finished in the top half after winning the Championship, and while most Clarets fans will be focusing on survival before anything else, considering the dynamic of the bottom half of the Premier League, there’s no reason to think the Clarets can’t finish safety in mid-table.

Bournemouth have made an exciting appointment in Andoni Iraola, but would anyone be surprised if the Cherries were embroiled in a relegation battle? The same can be said of Nottingham Forest, Everton, Wolves and even Fulham, not to mention fellow new boys Luton and Sheffield United. 

The difference in quality between Burnley and many of the sides around them is minor, and the Clarets shouldn’t spend too much time looking over their shoulder.
 

Burnley manager – Vincent Kompany

The decision to bring Vincent Kompany to Turf Moor was most certainly a gamble. Having taken over as player-manager at Anderlecht, a spell that saw him win none of his first five games before stepping down, there wasn’t all that much to suggest the Belgian would go on to become a top manager.

Even when hanging up his boots to manage full-time for two seasons, Kompany only managed mixed results.

On top of that, he had a Pep Guardiola-inspired philosophy alien to what Burnley had employed in their Sean Dyche years.

Nevertheless, the gamble paid off with instant results. Despite too many draws in the early stages of his tenure – seven in the first 12 games of the campaign – his squad quickly got to grips with his ideas, winning 14 out of 15 games routinely putting sides to the sword.

So impressive were Burnley last season that the concern arose that the Clarets would struggle to keep hold of their manager, with Tottenham reportedly considering a move.

But they have managed to keep hold of Kompany, and can look forward to a promising 2023/24 campaign.
 

Burnley Key Player – Josh Cullen

A graduate from the West Ham academy, Josh Cullen gained senior experience in League One, impressing at Bradford City winning the Players’ Player of the Season in his first full campaign with the Bantams, before making the step up to Championship level with Bolton.

After another loan spell, this time with Charlton, Cullen bid an emotional farewell to West Ham, joining Anderlecht on a permanent deal, before returning to England with Burnley at the start of last season.

The promise Cullen showed as a youngster had been realised, with the midfielder crucial in the Clarets’ promotion push.

While his more adventurous midfield partner Josh Brownhill caught the eye with 15 goal contributions last season, it was Cullen who was perhaps the more influential, picking up the Fans’ and Players’ Player of the Season in his first season at Turf Moor.

While Brownhill may be more appealing to Fantasy players with his goalscoring and creating, Cullen is vital and will be pivotal to Burnley’s hopes of survival this season.
 

Burnley One to Watch – Manuel Benson

Last season, Burnley fans witnessed the composure of Josh Cullen, the creativity of Josh Brownhill, the goalscoring prowess of Nathan Tella, and the electrifying excitement of Manuel Benson.

There’s a rawness in Burnley’s Belgian winger that could lead you to believe he’s much younger than he actually is, though that could be explained by the fact that, despite being 25 upon his move to Turf Moor, Benson had only started 90 games.

Though he made 33 appearances last season, he still only started 14 games, yet managed to score 11 goals, most of which were directly taken from the Arjen Robben playbook. 

There’s also a bit of his compatriot Eden Hazard in the way he runs with the ball, capable of beating men both ways, though preferring to cut inside onto his preferred left foot.

Having started 14 games in the Championship last season, it’s hard to see Benson playing a considerably more prominent role in the Premier League, and Vincent Kompany will be watching closely how he adapts to life in the top flight, but when he does play, he’ll be sure to make things happen for the Clarets.
 

Burnley transfers

In:

• Zeki Amdouni (Basel – £16m)
• James Trafford (Manchester City – £15m)
• Jordan Beyer (Borussia Monchengladbach – £14m)
• Dara O’Shea (West Brom – £7m)
• Michael Obafemi (Swansea – £3.5m)
• Lica Koleosho (Espanyol – £2.5m)
• Jacob Bruun Larsen (Hoffenheim – Loan)
• Lawrence Vigouroux (Leyton Orient – Free)

Out:

• Ashley Barnes (Norwich – Free)
• Will Norris (Portsmouth – Free)
• Matt Lowton (End of contract)
   

Burnley potential XI:

(4-2-3-1): Muric, Roberts, O'Shea, Beyer, Taylor, Cork (c), Cullen, Benson, Brownhill, Zaroury, Amdouni.

Burnley opening fixtures

Burnley's opening six Premier League fixtures are as follows:

• 11th August 2023 – Manchester City (H)
• 27th August 2023 – Aston Villa (H)
• 2nd September 2023 – Tottenham (H)
• 18th September 2023 – Nottingham Forest (A)
• 23rd September 2023 – Manchester United (H)
• 30th September 2023 – Newcastle (A)
   

Burnley - last five seasons

Season	League finish
2022/23	1st (Championship)
2021/22	18th (Premier League)
2020/21	17th (Premier League)
2019/20	10th (Premier League)
2018/19	15th (Premier League)

View Burnley Premier League 2023/24 odds

Odds correct at time of publishing and subject to change.