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Why Burnley must spend more than £20million and sign this talented 28-year-old attacker

According to Sky Sports News, Burnley are interested in signing West Bromwich Albion striker Jay Rodriguez, who could cost above £20million. Bournemouth, West Ham United and Crystal Palace have also been linked with the English striker but Burnley are believed to be the leading contenders.

Burnley had a season of dreams in 2017/18 where the Clarets qualified for the Europa League after just a few seasons in the Premier League. Despite enjoying a remarkable season, Burnley scored a mere 36 goals in 38 league games.

Only six teams scored less than Burnley. The majority of their goals came from Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes, who scored 10 and 9 respectively. Another striker that Sean Dyche has at his disposal is Sam Vokes, who scored a mere 4 league goals last season. Jonathan Walters is injury-prone and is ageing.

Burnley depend on their defence to win points but they need more firepower. Considering the fact that Burnley play a two-striker system and have European games next season (if they qualify), the need for a striker is evident.

The 28-year-old Jay Rodriguez is a Burnley boy. He was born there, played for their youth teams and made his senior debut for the Clarets too.

The Englishman went on to make 128 appearances for his boyhood club, scoring 41 goals in the process. That is an impressive feat considering Burnley’s up and down form and the fact that Rodriguez was still developing. He scored 15 and 21 goals in his last two seasons at Turf Moor.

This led to a move to the Saints, which didn’t go particularly well. He struggled in his first season before coming up with the goods in the second. He scored 15 league goals in 33 appearances.

He was in excellent goalscoring form until he ruptured his ACL and was out for more than a year. Rodriguez never looked like he fully recovered from it and never got into the form that Southampton hoped for. The exit was looming.

At the start of this season, Rodriguez jumped ship to the Midlands, joining West Bromwich Albion on a four-year deal. West Brom were struggling massively and eventually, they got relegated. Even then, Rodriguez showed glimpses of his talent by hitting form, including scoring the winner at Old Trafford.

Rodriguez is a player good enough to play in the first division. Even though Rodriguez had a decent enough first season at the Hawthorns, scoring 11 in 42 games, he might be better off switching teams again.

Rodriguez is a complete striker, works hard for the team, is versatile, and is an able finisher. He has a shot accuracy of just below 50%, winning almost half his aerial duels, completing at least one defensive action per game and also registering a key pass every other game.

He would certainly be welcomed back at Turf Moor. He has played in sides that didn’t create a lot of chances but has still managed to get more than average numbers for himself. He will be a smart acquisition for Burnley, who look to continue their impressive form domestically and make a name for themselves in Europe as well.

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