How Kompany Has Changed Burnley

After years of Burnley being synonymous with playing solid defensive and direct football in the Premier League, now, under new ownership and management in the Championship, they are unrecognisable to the way they played in the Premier League.

American firm ALK Capital paid £170 million to buy Burnley in December 2020 in a highly controversial leveraged buyout of the club and since the takeover, a lot has changed at the club.

Their first big change at the club was to sack Sean Dyche in April, ending his nine-and-a-half-year tenure at the club in an attempt to save the club from relegation and ultimately get a new manager who fits the club's new vision, where they found Vincent Kompany as the perfect choice.

Kompany fit this style as they started a new focus on bringing in younger players and focusing on a more data analytical approach, with Chairman Alan Pace stating “We are heavy users of data and analytics and that will probably evolve further as we go into our longevity here.”

After having to pay half of their £65 million loan repayment this summer, money was restricted this summer for Vincent Kompany to rebuild a squad that lost the majority of their key players from seasons gone by.

With much to be done this summer, Kompany went with players he knew of while managing Anderlecht and raided clubs from the Belgian Pro League, signing five players from five different Belgian clubs.

Of the £21 million Kompany was allowed to spend, he spent £11 million on players from the Belgian League, notably spending £3.5 million each on Anass Zarouy and Manuel Benson and bringing Josh Cullen from Anderlecht for £2.5 million.

Other than bringing in players from the Belgian League, Kompany and co looked at the English leagues to fill out the rest of the squad, bringing eight players from various English clubs across the top leagues, with an emphasis on younger players.

With the huge overhaul of players in the summer, the average age of the squad has drastically changed, going from 28.5, the oldest in the Premier League to 26.2, the 6th youngest in the Championship.

With the change of personnel, it has allowed Kompany to bring in players that suit the new style of play, moving away from the defensive, direct football of Sean Dyche to possession-based football with more emphasis of defending higher up the pitch.

Last season Burnley averaged just 40.2% possession, completing 14,107 passes in 38 matches, whilst this season they are averaging 62.8% possession, whilst already completing 13,802 passes in 15 fewer games.

Whilst the squad revamp and influx of younger players into the squad could’ve thrown some massive problems Kompany’s way this season, he has excelled at meshing the squad together and are flying in the Championship this season, sitting three points clear at the top of the Championship at the halfway point of the season whilst also the league’s top scorers with 46 goals, 12 more than they managed in the whole of last season.