Burnley Opinion: Should the Clarets go for Tom Ince in the summer?

Burnley’s recent upturn in form is mainly down to a massive improvement in front of goal. Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes have hit form at the crucial stage of the season which has seen the Clarets move five points clear of the relegation zone.

Despite Crystal Palace pulling Burnley down to the earth on Saturday, Sean Dyche’s men appear to be over the Europa League hangover which disrupted their start to the season.

Sean Dyche has built a very good Burnley side, strong and resilient to beat at home and tricky away from home. He has operated smartly on a shoestring budget since taking charge of the club and remains on course to avoid the drop from the Premier League.

But come summer, the 47-year-old should improve his squad to challenge for a top-ten finish next campaign.

One of the areas that needs strengthening is the wing, with the likes of Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Aaron Lennon, Robbie Brady and young Dwight McNeil not enough to help the Clarets in their endeavours next season.

That said, Burnley should make a move for Stoke City attacker Tom Ince this summer.

Tom Ince, 27, signed for Stoke City from Huddersfield Town last summer after the Potters’ relegation saw the departure of Xherdan Shaqiri. In a poor Championship season for Stoke thus far, Ince has been a rare bright spark with six goals and four assists in 29 games.

Even though the former Liverpool starlet hasn’t lived up to his billing at the Bet365 stadium, he has shown enough promise and maturity that should tempt Dyche to sign him.

In Ince, Dyche would get a nippy, agile and silky dribbler who can play as a right winger or through the middle.

With Brady, McNeil, Lennon and Gudmundsson already in the ranks, the addition of Ince would certainly give Burnley more firepower in the wide department. Ince would give the team real width from the right, and can also be an excellent counter-attacking outlet.

Verdict

Burnley should show more ambition in the summer than they showed last year and bring in Ince. He can be frustrating with his end product at times but with the right coaching, he can flourish in the top-flight.

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After failing to make a mark with Huddersfield Town, the Stockport-born attacker deserves another chance in the Premier League and the Clarets should take a punt on him.