"This is the issue" - Pundit reveals Burnley FC concern ahead of Leeds United trip | OneFootball

Adrian Clarke has highlighted a major Burnley concern ahead of Leeds United clash

EFL pundit Adrian Clarke has highlighted a concern he has for Burnley for this Championship season.

The Clarets are back in the second division after suffering relegation from the Premier League last year.

The Lancashire outfit endured a hectic summer following the appointment of Scott Parker as manager after Vincent Kompany departed for Bayern Munich.

The squad has been overhauled by Parker, with over a dozen players coming in and over 20 departing.

Burnley have earned seven points from their opening four fixtures, most recently drawing 1-1 with bitter rivals Blackburn Rovers prior to the international break.

Adrian Clarke highlights key Burnley concern

Clarke is concerned about the number of players that have departed the club in the last few months.

He believes that it could take some time for the squad to gel properly, although expects that they can still challenge for the Championship title this year.

“I think they’ll come good, Burnley, but they’re just a new team,” said Clarke, via the What the EFL?! podcast.

“This is the issue, 21 players left this summer and I think they’ve brought in 13 by my count, so the concern for me is not the players they’ve lost because obviously they wanted to go to the Premier League or to go on to bigger, better things.

“It’s more the players that are left, how are they feeling about it? Do they like this new bunch? Are they clicking with them or not, does it feel like the same dressing room or does it feel like the old Burnley dressing room with Scott Parker’s boys in one half as well.

“That’s my concern for them, in terms of the team unity.

“How many of the players that are left wish they’d have gone as well with their mates? So, there’s a few unknowns there, and I think Burnley had to do this clearly to navigate the transfer window.

“I think once this becomes a distant memory, he’s got the players to form a possible title challenge at Burnley, no doubt about that.”

Clarke expects Burnley to be strong

Despite the worry surrounding Burnley, Clarke has claimed that the Clarets have built an exciting squad that has an abundance of attacking and defensive talent.

“Look at the wingers he’s got left with, [Luka] Koleosho, Jaidon Anthony, Manuel Benson still there, [Jeremy] Sarmiento,” he added.

“That’s a fantastic group.

“The defence isn’t bad, I’ve seen them in the flesh and there are some good players there.

“I quite like the new signing at left-back Lucas Pires, I like Joe Worrall, [Maxime] Esteve is a decent centre-half as well.

“I worry a bit about the goalkeeper, but I’m going to lay off him a little bit.

“And then up front you’ve got Zian Flemming, who they brought in from Millwall to compete with Lyle Foster and Jay Rodriguez, so they’ve got good players.

“It’s just how long is it going to take for them to gel?

“The other thing about this team is they’re good ages, I looked at this Burnley team in the last match before the international break, seven players are 24 or under, the other four 27, 28, 29, I think that’s a lovely blend.

“I wouldn’t mind a 30-year-old in there for a bit of experience, but I do think that there will be a lot of athleticism, a lot of hunger, a lot of players coming into their peak over the next year or two at Turf Moor.

“I would make Leeds favourites here, because Burnley are so new together, but they’ll come good.”

Burnley face Leeds on 14 September in a 12.30pm kick-off at Elland Road.

Burnley’s mixed start to the season

Burnley earned a couple of strong results to start the season, but those results flattered the actual performances.

Their subsequent loss to Sunderland and draw to Blackburn was a wake-up call to everyone involved with the club that it will take time for this team to start clicking.

Returning from the break with a trip to Leeds will be a tough test of how well they’ve used the last two weeks to build chemistry and a stronger attacking plan.