Burnley fans will have to get used to the strange sight of seeing club legend Ashley Barnes in a Norwich City shirt next season after it was confirmed that the striker had joined the Canaries on a two-year deal following his Turf Moor exit.
The 33-year-old scored 55 goals in 293 appearances for Burnley across a nine-year spell, which included seven goals in the Championship as Vincent Kompany’s side cruised to the title in the second tier.
Despite his age, Barnes was a consistent starter for Kompany and will need replacing if the Clarets are going to enjoy a successful return to the Premier League, with his physicality in attack a staple of how Burnley have set up for nearly a decade.
While the Belgian manager will no doubt have his eyes on the transfer market ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, he may already have a ready-made replacement for Barnes in forgotten man, Wout Weghorst.
Could Weghorst feature again for Burnley next season?
The Netherlands international joined Burnley in January 2022 in a bid to keep the Clarets in the Premier League but struggled to have the necessary impact, managing just two goals in 20 Premier League appearances as his new side succumbed to relegation.
Keen to avoid a season in the Championship, the 30-year-old was sent out on loan to Besiktas in Turkey for the first half of this season and seriously caught the eye, notching eight goals in 16 appearances in the Super Lig.
He also impressed at the World Cup, scoring twice late on in the memorable quarter-final game against Argentina before eventually going down on penalties, which attracted the attention of Dutch compatriot and Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag, who moved swiftly to sign him on loan in January.
While this was an unprecedented switch at the time, and he has struggled for goals in the Premier League again, he has won over fans with his work rate and overall performances, with content creator Mark Goldbridge dubbing him a “pressing monster.”
However, recent reports have suggested that United won’t sign him permanently this summer, which suggests that he could find himself back at Burnley for pre-season, where he could be given a chance to impress Kompany ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
At 6 foot 6, Weghorst could certainly perform a similar role to Barnes as a target man and while Kompany has moved to more of a possession style of play, the £35k-per-week Dutchman could be a great player to bring on late on to offer something different.
His previous goalscoring record with Wolfsburg was very impressive, as he hit double figures in three consecutive campaigns, and if he is given a second chance to impress at Burnley, he could just be the ideal replacement for Barnes with the Clarets next season.
