"Too good" - Pundit fires Josh Brownhill warning at Burnley FC | OneFootball

Pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Burnley must offer Brownhill a new contract amid fresh transfer interest from Trabzonspor

Ex-England international and current pundit Carlton Palmer has told Burnley to offer captain Josh Brownhill a new contract, amid transfer interest from Trabzonspor, with his current deal due to expire at the end of the season.

Brownhill joined the Clarets from Bristol City in January 2020, and has been an important part of their side over the last few seasons in both the Championship and Premier League.

He was set to become a free agent at the end of last season as Burnley suffered relegation back to the second-tier, but signed a one-year extension to his deal to cover this term, and was handed the captaincy by Scott Parker ahead of the new campaign.

The 28-year-old was rumoured to be of interest to Turkish outfit Trabzonspor late in the summer window, as they reportedly saw a £3.4m bid rejected by the Clarets for his services, but he remained at Turf Moor for this season.

Brownhill has been in fine form under Parker recently, with Burnley firmly in the battle for automatic promotion, and fresh reports have revealed that Trabzonspor could make another move in the January window.

Carlton Palmer offers Josh Brownhill contract verdict

Brownhill's superb start to the new season has seen him start every league game so far, with four goals and an assist to his name from central midfield, so it is no wonder that the seven-time Süper Lig champions have reignited their interest from the summer.

Turkish outlet Sabah have claimed that Trabzonspor are looking to add to their midfield in January and so could make a move for him in the winter market, while it is possible that they could also discuss a pre-contract with Brownhill in the new year, ahead of a potential move in July.

It seems highly unlikely that the Clarets' fans, or boss Parker, will want to lose their captain on a free transfer, and speaking exclusively to Football League World, former player and current pundit Carlton Palmer believes that Burnley must offer him a new contract as soon as possible to avoid any transfer approaches and keep their promotion challenge on the right track.

“I do find this a strange one, that Burnley haven’t tied their captain Josh Brownhill down to a longer contract," Palmer told Football League World.

“I understand that he didn’t feature much in the Premier League, and people would say that he struggled at that level, but their priority is to get promotion back to the Premier League at the first attempt, and he is a very key part of that.

“He’s captain of the team, the manager speaks very highly of him, and now they’ve got other clubs in the Championship and abroad, including Trabzonspor, looking to prise him away in January.

“I think that they should tie him down (to a longer contract). I mean, maybe he wants a longer deal that what they are prepared to offer, I don’t know what’s going on, but certainly Burnley should try and tie him down to help them get promotion.

“He has already got four goals and an assist to his name in nine Championship games. He is vastly experienced at this level, and they will want to keep him until the end of the season.

“I would give him a new deal, if I was Burnley, so they don’t have this disruption coming again in January.

“Scott Parker had this problem before the season started with the likes of Wilson Odobert, Sander Berge and Dara O’Shea. They left the club late on in the window, which will have disrupted what he wanted to do.

“He doesn’t want that again. For me, I think they should tie him down to a new contract, but obviously Josh has got to agree to the terms.

“Maybe they will only want to give him a year’s contract, but they should be doing something, in my opinion.

“(He is) too good a player to lose in this league.”

Brownhill wants to stay at Burnley

Brownhill has won the hearts of Clarets fans in his near five years at the club, and so it would be a shock if he wanted to depart Turf Moor, even to join a top-flight side and earn more money, which is what Trabzonspor will be offering.

With that said, his recent public comments about his future will have been music to the ears of everyone connected with Burnley, after he admitted that he would like to stay at the club beyond the end of his current deal next year.

"Yeah, of course (when asked whether he'd like to stay). It’s one of them where my contract is coming to an end, is it in the club’s best interests to sort me out or is it mine?" he told BBC Radio Lancashire, via the Burnley Express.

"I’ve got a year left and I just want to keep focusing on performing very well, winning games and scoring goals.

"When it comes to the end of the year the decision has to be made. Is it the right thing for me to stay? Is it the right thing for the club to want me to stay? A lot can change in that time.

"While I’m playing well, enjoying my football and scoring goals I want to focus on that and see where it takes me until the end of the year."

It is pretty clear, given his quotes, that the 28-year-old is content at Burnley and is in no rush to depart anytime soon, so his future looks to be in the hands of the Clarets' chiefs going forward.

While he seems happy, and it is unlikely that he will leave midway through the season, another offer from Turkey would surely tempt him to at least consider an exit, given Burnley's apparent reluctance to sort out his future anytime soon.

His contract situation must be sorted out in the coming months, or the Clarets risk discontent in the squad and possible jeopardy to their promotion push.