Burnley are back in the Premier League, with this set to be their ninth top-flight campaign out of the last 12. However, the last two have both ended in relegation, so can the Clarets beat the drop this time?
What are Burnley's confirmed transfers?
Burnley's arrivals
- Kyle Walker: Manchester City - £5 million.
- Lesley Ugochukwu: Chelsea - £23 million.
- Armando Broja: Chelsea - £10 million.
- Martin Dúbravka: Newcastle United - undisclosed.
- Loum Tchaouna: Lazio - £12.9 million.
- Quilindschy Hartman: Feyenoord - £7.7 million.
- Marcus Edwards: Sporting CP - £8.4 million (loan deal made permanent).
- Jaidon Anthony: Bournemouth - £8 million (loan deal made permanent).
- Bashir Humphreys: Chelsea - £10 million (loan deal made permanent).
- Zian Flemming: Millwall - £7 million (loan deal made permanent).
- Axel Tuanzebe: Ipswich Town - free transfer.
- Max Weiß: Karlsruher - £4.3 million.
- Jacob Bruun Larsen: Stuttgart - £5 million.
Burnley's departures
- James Trafford: Manchester City - £27 million.
- CJ Egan-Riley: Olympique Marseille - free transfer.
- Han-Noah Massengo: Augsburg - £2.6 million.
- Andréas Hountondji: St. Pauli - loan.
- Josh Brownhill: free agent.
- Jonjo Shelvey: free agent.
- Nathan Redmond: free agent.
Pleased note: all information is correct as of the date of publication.
What happened at Burnley last season?
Burnley are back in the Premier League after a record-breaking campaign. Last season, the Clarets won promotion back to the top-flight by finishing second in the EFL Championship, actually becoming the first club in Football League history to end a campaign with 100 points and not win the title, pipped to top spot by Leeds by virtue of goal difference on the final day. However, this was not Burnley's highest points tally of all-time, having actually collected 101 points two years earlier.
So, despite finishing first or second during each of their last four Championship seasons, they've struggled to make the step-up, relegated with a miserly 24 points to their name in 2023/24. Manager Scott Parker has also previously gained promotion in charge of Fulham and Bournemouth, but has only ever won nine of 52 Premier League games as a coach, which is not a great return.
What should give the Burnley faithful hope is their team's defensive record. In the Championship last season, the Clarets conceded an astonishing 16 goals in 46 games, keeping 30 clean sheets, thereby breaking Port Vale's all-time EFL record set all the way back in 1953/54. This could provide them with a platform to succeed at a higher level, so will they be able to grind their way to survival?
How will Burnley do this season?
Without wanting to write a team off before a ball is kicked, Burnley appear destine for the drop. Goalkeeper James Trafford, who was so key to their promotion, as well as starting centre-back CJ Egan-Riley have both departed, which is far from ideal from the start.
Veteran Martin Dúbravka is set to be the new number one, while Kyle Walker is their most high-profile addition, but playing for a team near the bottom of the division could be quite the shock to the 35 year old. Just last week, Lesley Ugochukwu and Armando Broja arrived in a double-deal from Chelsea, but banking on the Albanian international to be a reliable goalscorer at Premier League level could be risky, given that he saw just 353 minutes of action on loan at Everton due to injury.
Put succinctly, the Clarets really lack quality and high-level difference makers, so we frankly think it would be a miracle if they managed to survive.
What is our predicted Premier League finish for Burnley?
- Our predicted finish for Burnley in the Premier League this season: 20th.
What are Burnley's first 6 Premier League fixtures?
- Tottenham Hotspur (A). Saturday 16 August. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
- Sunderland (H). Saturday 23 August. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
- Manchester United (A). Saturday 30 August. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
- Liverpool (H). Sunday 14 September. Kick off 14:00 (BST).
- Nottingham Forest (H). Saturday 20 September. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
- Manchester City (A). Saturday 27 September. Kick off 15:00 (BST).
What are some other key dates for Burnley supporters?
- 13 August: Carabao Cup second round draw - taking place around 22:30 (BST).
- 1 September: The transfer window closes at 19:00 (BST).