Although Burnley manager Vincent Kompany has demonstrated that it does not matter, Jean Butez may not be a household name.

Burnley fans might be excused for immediately turning to Google to learn about the majority of their summer transfer targets, but that has been the case ever since head coach Vincent Kompany’s transformation began last year.

Goalkeepers Bart Verbruggen and Jean Butez, both of whom are talented in their own right but are not exactly well-known in England, have been connected to the Clarets.

The Royal Antwerp goalkeeper Butez now appears to be the more likely candidate for Burnley to recruit, according to the Belgian publication HBVL, since Verbruggen is expected to join Brighton & Hove Albion from Anderlecht.

When Burnley returns to the Premier League, Butez is anticipated to compete with Arijanet Muric for the number one jersey.

While some people might be left wondering exactly who Butez is, Burnley has recently had excellent success in bringing in unsung heroes, largely because of Kompany.

Who is Jean Butez?

Much like Butez, many Burnley fans would not have heard of Anass Zaroury, Manuel Benson, Jordan Beyer or Ameen Al-Dakhil. As it is, each of those – the first three in particular – played an important part in the Clarets’ promotion from the Championship.

Zaroury, for example, was signed from Jupiler Pro League side Charleroi and had never played outside of Belgium. Butez came through French side Lille’s academy, but all 104 of his senior appearances have come just across the border in Belgium.

The Morocco international played in 34 of the Clarets’ 46 league games last season and was given a rating of 6.95 by WhoScored – the sixth-highest of all Burnley players.

If Butez can make something close to the same impact, Kompany’s side will stand a very strong chance of retaining their top-flight status beyond next season.

The 28-year-old, who measures in at 6 foot 2 and has previously been described as “very impressive” by football writer Josh Bunting, looks primed and ready to do exactly that at Turf Moor.

Butez kept the most clean sheets in the Belgian top flight last season – a league pretty much on a par with the Championship, according to Global Football Rankings – which goes a long way to explaining links with LaLiga side Villarreal.

As a goalkeeper who is also comfortable with the ball at his feet, as his 74.15% pass-completion rate showed last season, Butez may well be the next unheralded talent snapped up by Kompany. much like Zaroury was.