Vincent Kompany led Burnley to glory in the Championship in the 2022/23 campaign as the Belgian head coach secured the league title in style.
The Clarets amassed a whopping 101 points in the second tier to ensure their promotion back to the Premier League at the first time of asking and the manager’s work in the transfer market last summer played a significant role in their success.
Anass Zaroury, Manuel Benson, Arijanet Muric, Josh Cullen, and Ian Maatsen are just a few of the impressive gems the head coach unearthed to become Burnley stars this season.
Kompany arrived at Turf Moor after spending two years in his home country managing Anderlecht and swooped for Cullen from his former club as one of his first signings.
No player played more matches (78) for Kompany at the Belgian club than the Irish midfielder and the ex-Manchester City defender brought him in to be a consistent presence in the middle of the park for the Clarets.
Cullen averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 – ranking sixth in the squad – across 43 Championship matches and made 2.8 tackles and interceptions per game to go along with his pass completion rate of 88%.
The Burnley boss could now repeat the masterclass he played with the 27-year-old by completing a swoop for another one of his former Anderlecht stars – Albert Sambi Lokonga.
Who is Albert Sambi Lokonga?
He is a 23-year-old central midfielder who is currently on loan at Crystal Palace in the Premier League from fellow top-flight side Arsenal.
Football Insider recently reported that the Clarets are interested in snapping the Belgium international up on a temporary basis next term and have made him one of their top targets following their promotion from the second tier.
Lokonga made 39 appearances under Kompany’s management before his switch to The Emirates and enjoyed a terrific season with him in 2020/21.
The maestro averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.26 across 33 appearances in the Pro League and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per match. He also completed 86% of his attempted passes and won 62% of his duels in the middle of the park, which shows that the Gunners talent is a reliable passer who can also provide a physical presence in midfield – like Cullen.
That average performance level would place him only behind Josh Brownhill (7.27) in the current Burnley squad, proving that the £50k-per-week ace, who talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed as “tireless“, has the potential to be a standout performer for Kompany.
Lokonga, who averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.93 in the Premier League for Arsenal in 2021/22, has proven that he can thrive in the Belgian head coach’s tactical set-up already and that could allow him to hit the ground running in the same way that Cullen did.
Therefore, the Clarets boss could repeat the masterclass he played with the Irishman by swooping for the £17.2m battler this summer.
