Following their final day relegation to the Championship, Burnley will be expecting to lose some of their best players.
Despite being a long-serving member of the Clarets’ senior first team, fans will be fearing that goalkeeper Nick Pope could be poached by a club still in the Premier League.
With eight senior international caps to his name, it is clear that 30-year-old Pope is better than England’s second-tier and with just 12-months left on his contract, this summer is likely to be Burnley’s best chance of securing a decent transfer fee.
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All of those factors considered it would be more of a surprise to see the English shot-stopper stay at Turf Moor next season than it would see him back to the big time.
One person who agrees and expects David Moyes’ West Ham to be the side to lure Pope back to the Premier League is former Hammers’ striker turned pundit, Frank McAvennie.
“I think they’ll get him and I think they’ll get him at a good price as well,” the ex-Hammer told West Ham Zone.
“There’s no way he’ll want to go down a division. He’s got his money, he’s an England contender. He’s no Joe Hart. Joe Hart was a wonderful talent, and come to resurrect his career at Celtic. Pope’s not got to do that.
“He’ll walk into West Ham as number one, he’s a damn good ‘keeper.”
Since joining Burnley and teaming up with former boss Sean Dyche, Pope has gone on to feature 155 matches, in all competitions, keeping 53 clean sheets, including 47 in the Premier League, along the way.
