Burnley are still very active in the transfer market…
On the strength of their game against Manchester City, Burnley is difficult to evaluate.
The Clarets naturally gave down when confronted with the robotic inevitableness of Erling Haaland and his treble-winning all-conquering allies.
The number of games that Burnley can win will increase significantly as it works to maintain its top-flight position. But to fill the gaps created by
loanees and produce the proper level of squad depth, they must continue to push for new hires.
In his ferocious chase of Dodi Lukebakio, Vincent Kompany has suffered a setback, but Burnley are still in the running.
How is the Burnley transfer drama now going?
The Hertha Berlin forward reportedly signed a four-year deal with the newly promoted team, who would pay £9m for his services, according to
reports in Germany.
Sevilla, in an unfortunate turn of events, has intervened and is closely monitoring Lukebakio.
The Spanish team has the added incentive of Champions League football, but it has been reported that they are experiencing “significant” financial
difficulties and have racked up a £77 million debt.
However, in a surprising turn of events, Sevilla’s investors, 777-Partners, are also associated with Hertha, and it’s rumored that they could assist in
raising money to obtain Lukebakio.
The course of this saga will be interesting to watch, but Burnley is still very much a possibility.
Dodi Lukebakio’s talent level?
Since joining Hertha in 2019, the 25-year-old has proven to be one of the organization’s most valued and high-yielding assets. The Belgian has made
100 appearances in all competitions, contributing to 46 goals.
This great record, which included 11 goals and three assists in the Bundesliga last season, couldn’t stop his team’s tragic relegation, though.
Lukebakio, according to WhoScored, averaged the second-most dribbles per game (2.1) and critical passes per game (0.9), combining this excellent
production with a creative attacking threat.
The 6 foot 2 livewire also performs brilliantly on the continent, ranking among his positional counterparts for successful take-ons per 90 in the top
14% in Europe’s top five divisions.
His former Fortuna Düsseldorf teammate Oliver Fink described the attacker as “incredible”, highlighting his “speed” and “ball skill” as two of his
most eye-catching attributes.
Adam Bodsek echoed this sentiment, labelling Lukebakio as “incredibly valuable.”
His directness and output mean he has been likened to Jarrod Bowen, via FBref’s player comparison model.
The two players rank very closely for a number of offensive metrics, including total shots per 90 (2.19 vs 2.20), shot-creating actions per 90 (3.17 vs
3.20), progressive passes per 90 (1.58 vs 2.06), progressive carries per 90 (3.65 vs 2.44), and successful take-ons per 90 (2.44 vs 1.14).
The pair, therefore, are impeccably progressive footballers who provide a high level of creativity from the flanks.
The 26-year-old finished the 2021/22 Premier League season with 12 goals and 12 assists, becoming the first West Ham player to hit double digits for
both metrics in a single campaign since Paolo di Canio in 1999/00.
In the most recent season, the former Hull City phenom netted the winner in Europa Conference League Final. In doing so, he became the first
Englishman to score the winning goal in a major European final since Arsenal’s Alan Smith in 1994.
If Lukebakio can even partially emulate that impact on Burnley, in the same manner that Bowen has done for West Ham, he would be an inspired
addition to Turf Moor.
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