Burnley opinion: Should the Clarets make a move for Craig Dawson?
Burnley have had a difficult season. Their issues have stemmed from their ageing squad. The fact that they have only two players who are 25 or younger, shows exactly what manager Sean Dyche has to do in the summer.
He needs to freshen up his squad and maybe add some young blood into the fold. However, Burnley’s average squad age has always been on the older side but that has never affected them before.
Even last season, when the Clarets finished seventh in the Premier League, they had more or less the same squad and produced Premier League quality football.
Something changed this season and that saw them drop down a few ranks. A few ranks all the way into the relegation zone, with the club spending time in 18th, 19th and 20th over the course of the season.
/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-expressandstar-mna.s3.amazonaws.com/public/ZGKBWY4KVVBPJFCMA4W3DNBNIA)
The fact that Sean Dyche was their manager did change that, as he brought them out of the relegation zone and into 15th place. They were far off from their seventh-place finish but at the same time are safe for the moment.
Next season will be even harder and the club needs to add a few new players, especially with a few players leaving. Both Anders Lindegaard and Stephen Ward are on their way out with James Tarkowski linked with a move away in recent weeks.
That would leave the club without a reliable centre-back and that’s something they need to change. However, reliable centre-backs with Premier League experience are hard to come by and it’s one of the many reasons why the move for Craig Dawson makes a lot of sense.
The 29-year-old has been linked with a club record move to Burnley (h/t the Sun). That comes as no surprise given that the West Brom star has been on Dyche’s shortlist for years.
A bonafide Premier League defender if there ever was one, Dawson has over 150 appearances in the English top-tier to his name.
He was also a part of their squad that did get relegated last season and has since made himself a consistent presence even in the Championship. He has been faithful to the Baggies, a move to the Premier League could be hard to turn down.
The Clarets need the experience in their ranks and someone like Craig Dawson will add exactly that.
Read More Burnley news, click here: Burnley latest news
Conclusion
Burnley need reinforcements this summer and while their defence looks fine on paper, things go completely haywire on the field.
Ben Gibson’s struggles have been well-documented and so has Ben Mee’s, which is why a move for Craig Dawson makes a lot of sense. Of course, it wouldn’t do them any harm adding a few youngsters, but that’s up to Sean Dyche.