Why Josh Brownhill is Burnley’s best signing since Defour
Burnley have finally landed themselves the central midfielder they’ve been desperately craving since Belgian delight, Steven Defour, became injury prone.
The Clarets have lacked a creative outlet in the midfield ever since, falling from challenging the top 6 with Defour, to being dragged into relegation dogfights without him.
Bristol City captain Josh Brownhill is on his way back up north
Now, I'm not saying Brownhill is the same level of player that Defour was, but he is a very solid box to box midfielder with some creative intent - something this Burnley team needs. Therefore, he may be the best signing since Defour.
Brownhill is an extremely versatile player.
He can play in behind a striker, sitting in front of a defence and can also drift out onto the right-hand side. This is perfect for Burnley, given that the Clarets currently rely on Ashley Westwood and Jack Cork in the centre who are too similar.
Westwood has been excellent, sitting deep and delivering deadly set pieces. However, Cork also sits deep, doesn’t add enough creativity and often loses possession.
The introduction of Brownhill will enhance Westwood’s game, as it will allow Westwood to do less mopping up and enable him more time to sit in deep and pick out passes. It also pushes the midfield further up the pitch, because currently, Burnley have two deep lying midfielders who don’t push up enough.
Ashley Westwood (left) will have more freedom in his role after the signing of Brownhill
The addition of Brownhill will also strengthen Burnley’s defence.
Burnley have been leaking far too many goals over the last 18 months. Some may think the defence has worsened and Ben Mee and James Tarkowski are out of form, but this problem can be attributed to the midfield not having enough of the ball up the pitch.
This has put considerable pressure onto the backline, and ultimately means they eventually become ground down and therefore vulnerable.
It’s no coincidence that Burnley have been given the ‘anti-football’ nickname recently, as other clubs see Burnley sit back and hope to bypass the midfield with long balls to the formidable pairing of Chris Wood and Ashley Barnes. The introduction of Brownhill will change this and make the football more entertaining.
It’s been a mixed season for Sean Dyche’s men
Brownhill’s ability to play the right side of midfield is also important.
Burnley are very weak on the right side of the pitch, when the talented Iceland international Johan Gudmundsson is injured (which is sadly too often). This has meant Jeff Hendrick has had to move to the right side which is not a position he is comfortable in.
Brownhill now gives Burnley options when Gudmundsson is unavailable, he can move to the right side and Hendrick can go back to his natural central position, where he thrived earlier this season and was arguably Burnley’s best player.
Brownhill is also capable of grabbing a goal, he’s scored five so far this season. Burnley are far too reliant on Wood and Barnes for goals, so a midfielder with goals in him will be a welcome addition to the team.
Brownhill may not seem like the dream signing they’ve been craving since Defour arrived way back in 2016. However, he has all the credentials to be vital in Burnley’s quest to push back into the top half of the Premier League, and distances themselves from any relegation fears for the foreseeable future.
Article by: Jon Lomas
Edited by: Samuel Slaney
Thumbnail by: Samuel Slaney
Images from: Burnley FC/Andy Ford & Getty Images