Vincent Kompany is preparing for his first campaign in management in the top flight after storming to the Championship
title last term.
The mood among the Burnley fanbase is understandably confident, while a recent survey of fans of all Premier
League clubs suggested the Clarets are the most likely of the three newly-promoted sides to secure survival.
But Souness, a former Blackburn Rovers manager, of course, cheekily suggested some of the optimism at Turf Moor might
be going a little overboard.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire: “SkyBet did a survey which threw up a stat that 25 per cent of Burnley supporters think
they’re going to win a cup this year. Tell me about that!
“It will be tough. The manager has done fantastically well there, going into a club at a difficult time having been relegated
with plenty of players coming to the end of their contract, so he’s done really well getting them promoted and with the brand
of football they played.
“Vincent has done a great job there, but winning a cup? I’m not sure. I think it should all be about survival.
“Like every team that gets promoted, a Monday morning is a very different Monday morning to the last 12
months when they were winning nearly every weekend, coming in and everyone was looking forward to training,
everyone was buoyant and in a good mood.
“Now most weekends, they will be coming in feeling sorry for themselves so the manager has a bigger and a
different job this time around to keep lifting them up.
“It is going to be disappointing for them a lot more this year than it was last year and it’s how these players deal
with it, as well as the manager and his staff.
“Little Bellers (Craig Bellamy) will have his part to play, Mr Angry, he’ll have a part to play – if you ever see him,
give him my best because I’ve not seen him in a while – but they’ve got a part to play to keep the players’ heads
up.”
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Ipswich Town join Coventry and Millwall in race to sign Burnley player
Reports suggest the Tractor Boys are keen on signing central defender Luke McNally this summer.
After a strong loan spell at Coventry City in the second half of last season, Luke McNally showed that the step up from League One had not come too soon.
Some had their doubts after his move from Oxford United to Burnley last summer, though, when the 23-year-old
featured just four times for the Clarets by the time January arrived.
For the Sky Blues, McNally proved a key mid-season addition, though, helping the club go on to reach the
Championship play-off final and come within a penalty shootout of Premier League football.
His strong performances have seen him linked with a potential return to Coventry on a loan or permanent basis
so far this summer, as well as Millwall.
It now appears that there is also another side considering a move for his services.
What is the latest Luke McNally transfer news?
Indeed, recently-promoted Championship side Ipswich Town are reportedly considering McNally and have him
on a list of potential transfer targets this summer, it has emerged.
That is according to a report from TWTD.co.uk, who reveal that a central defender is among those under
consideration at the club.
Indeed, McNally is said to be being looked at alongside free agent Craig Cathcart and US international Auston
Trusty, both of whom have been previously been touted for a move to Portman Road this summer.
How long does Luke McNally have left on his Burnley contract?
Of course, any move for McNally this summer rests firmly in Burnley’s hands due to the central defender’s
contract situation at the club.
Having only joined the Clarets from Oxford United last summer, naturally, the 23-year-old inked a relatively
long-term deal at Turf Moor.
This means that Luke McNally’s Burnley contract runs until the summer of 2026.
Will Burnlet let Luke McNally leave this summer?
With first-team football, at least regular first-team football, looking unlikely for McNally at Turf Moor, Burnley
may well be inclined to allow the defender to go out on loan again this summer.
That is according to a report from Alan Nixon earlier this summer, which first reported Millwall’s interest in the
Irishman.
It could also be that the Clarets are open to letting McNally go permanently this summer if the deal is right.
Reports has previously suggested that the defender could potentially be used in a player plus cash deal for
Burnley’s Zian Flemming, and it was also claimed that Burnley offered McNally to Coventry City in a similar sort
of deal for Gustavo Hamer, which was rejected.
Would Luke McNally be a good signing for Ipswich Town?
Whether on a permanent deal or loan move, Luke McNally would be a sound addition for Ipswich this summer.
As well as they did in League One, they do look slightly light in central defence both in terms of numbers and
experience at this level.
Of course, the hope will be that the likes of Luke Woolfenden, Cam Burgess and George Edmundson can carry
their form up a division, but, adding a player who did well at this level last season to their ranks would be a smart
move.
That said, on top of McNally, the club could probably benefit from a free agent like Craig Cathcart just for that
added experience, too.
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