Vincent Kompany will already be making plans for Burnley’s summer transfer window following their Championship title win this season, and Coventry City’s Viktor Gyokeres is seemingly one player on his shortlist.
Could Burnley sign Gyokeres?
According to Football Insider, the Clarets have joined the race to sign the Sweden international this summer, with Kompany no doubt keen to bolster his attacking options at Turf Moor to avoid an instant return to the second tier next season.
The likes of Everton, Crystal Palace, Leeds United and Fulham are also said to be keen on the 24-year-old frontman, who Coventry are said to be resigned to losing should they fail to achieve promotion to the Premier League, although a playoff spot is still firmly within the Sky Blues’ reach.
The former Brighton gem has previously been valued at £20m by Coventry amid his sensational form in the Championship, which has seen him register a hugely impressive 21 goals and 10 assists so far this campaign, averaging a 7.21 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
Given that only Josh Brownhill (7.26) would better this average rating in Burnley’s squad, it is clear the quality that Gyokeres could add at Turf Moor, especially as no player would come particularly close to the Swede’s impressive goal contribution tally.
The powerful striker’s superb performances have seen him labelled “unplayable” by teammate Max Biamou, while manager Mark Robins also sang his praises earlier in the campaign.
He said: “He’s not the finished article by any stretch of the imagination but he has some unbelievable ability – power, technique. He has got everything in his locker and that desire and hunger to score goals.”
Could Gyokeres replace Tella at Burnley?
Although Burnley look likely to swap places with Southampton this season, given they sit bottom of the Premier League, it could be tough to prise impressive loanee Nathan Tella away from St Mary’s this summer, and he would need replacing after he has fired in 17 goals and provided five assists for the Clarets en route to the title.
However, the stats suggest that Gyokeres could potentially be an upgrade on the Saints loanee at Turf Moor should he be signed from Coventry ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
Not only did the Swede register more goals and assists than Tella, but he has also averaged more shots (three vs 1.9), key passes (1.8 vs 0.8) and dribbles (2.1 vs 0.9) per game this season and for a technically poorer outfit, which suggests that he could be a significant all-round upgrade in the Clarets attack.
It won’t be easy or cheap to prise Gyokeres away from Coventry this summer, given the competition for his signing, but it seems clear that he could be an effective player for Kompany in the top flight.
