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A well-deserved move – Burnley have taken a leap in the right direction by signing this promising U19 star

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Why Burnley have struck gold with a deal for Joel Mumbongo

According to Lancashire Live, Burnley have completed the signing of 20-year-old striker Joel Mumbongo, with the youngster putting pen to paper on professional terms at Turf Moor after a successful trial. 

The 20-year-old Swedish U-19 international initially linked up with Burnley in the summer as a trialist and had to wait for three long months to make his debut, which came in the Premier League Cup draw against Middlesbrough last weekend. 

Born in Sweden to parents of Congolese descent, Joel Mumbongo started his career in the youth ranks of top-flight club BK Hacken, featured across various age-group levels for Hellas Verona and had a stint at lower-division Swedish outfit Utsikten before joining Burnley on trial in the summer. 

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 That, however, has been enough to convince the Clarets’ of his ability to make an impact, with the club finally offering him a deal to extend his stay in Lancashire, and Mumbongo is set to be a part of Steve Stone’s U-23 squad for the time being. 

Mumbongo, who travelled with the U-23s on their summer training camp to Poland, felt pain in his knee during the pre-season, having picked up an injury while playing for Hellas Verona in Italy last season. (h/t Lancashire Live)

The 20-year-old then had to go through some treatment and rehabilitation in order to get himself up and running before finally making his debut last week for the U-23s. And now, he is ready to repay the club’s patience after being offered a permanent deal to further his development. 

Joel Mumbongo is unlikely to stake a claim for a senior call-up to Sean Dyche’s ranks immediately but the powerful young striker has the talent and the potential to make a big impact in the years to come. 

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Having just recovered from an injury and to make his debut for the U-23s, the 20-year-old will need to prove his worth in the Professional Development League and then hope to catch the eye of a Football League club to earn himself the chance to go out on loan and gain some professional experience, which is likely to be the next stage in his development. 

To put things into perspective, Burnley have some quality young talent coming through the academy and Mumbongo looks like yet another exciting addition to the club’s development ranks. 

The Clarets have relied heavily on homegrown talents under the stewardship of Dyche and Mumbongo, though still relatively new to English surroundings, certainly has the chance to make an impression at the highest level in the years to come if he manages to channelise his footballing education down the right path. 

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Burnley are aware that they would eventually need to polish a few gems of their own in order to consolidate on their top-flight status and a deal for Mumbongo underpins what the club is aiming for under Sean Dyche. 

All in all, Burnley signing Joel Mumbongo permanently is definitely a step in the right direction and one that could go on to pay rich dividends in the future.