Football League World
·23 July 2024
Both Ipswich Town and Burnley have benefitted from summer switch but Clarets are true winners: View
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·23 July 2024
Burnley have signed former Ipswich Town goalkeeper Vaclav Hladky, while Aro Muric has made the move to Portman Road.
Burnley are preparing for life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League.
It was an incredibly disappointing season for the Clarets last term as they were relegated from the top flight with a total of just 24 points, but despite their struggles, manager Vincent Kompany made a shock move to German giants Bayern Munich in May.
After a lengthy search for Kompany's successor, Scott Parker was named as the club's new head coach earlier this month, and the 43-year-old will be looking to win a third promotion from the Championship next season having previously achieved the feat with Fulham and Bournemouth.
It was a slow start to the summer transfer window for Burnley, but they have now made four new signings, with Shurandy Sambo, Lucas Pires, Andreas Hountondji and Vaclav Hladky arriving at Turf Moor, while Johann Berg Gudmundsson has returned to the club having initially been released.
The Clarets have so far kept hold of most of their key players, but Aro Muric has joined newly-promoted Premier League side Ipswich Town, and fellow goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell has departed for Birmingham City.
Just days after Muric made the move to Ipswich in a deal worth up to £15 million, Burnley completed the signing of Hladky, who was the Tractor Boys' number one last season, and the Lancashire outfit are surely the winners of the goalkeeper switch.
Muric was a strong performer for Burnley as they won the Championship title in the 2022-23 campaign, but while he did make a number of impressive saves, he also made a host of costly mistakes in the Premier League that contributed to the club's relegation.
In fairness to Muric, much of the damage was already done by the time he replaced James Trafford between the sticks in March, and the Clarets did improve after his introduction to the team, but his errors against Everton and Brighton & Hove Albion in particular saw his side drop crucial points.
There is no guarantee that Muric would have been Burnley's first choice goalkeeper next season had he remained at Turf Moor, so the club will no doubt be delighted to have received a big fee for the 25-year-old, particularly after bringing in an excellent replacement in Hladky on a free transfer.
It seemed unlikely that Hladky would feature much for Ipswich last season, but a foot injury to Christian Walton in pre-season saw him start the campaign as number one, and he certainly took his chance, playing a key role as Kieran McKenna's side achieved back-to-back promotions.
Hladky is a proven Championship performer, and while he did suffer some anxious moments last season with the ball at his feet, he will be perfectly suited to Parker's preferred style of playing out from the back, while his experience of winning promotion with the Tractor Boys will be crucial as the Clarets look to make an immediate Premier League return.
If cashing in on Muric and replacing him with Hladky was not a smart enough move from Burnley, they could be set to receive a further windfall for another of their goalkeepers.
James Trafford joined the Clarets from Manchester City last summer in a deal worth up to £19 million, but he found it tough in the Premier League, conceding 62 goals in 28 games and keeping just two clean sheets before being dropped for Muric in March.
Despite that, it seems Trafford is attracting interest from top flight clubs this summer, with Newcastle United and Chelsea both said to be keen on the 21-year-old, who was called up to the senior England squad for the first time earlier this year.
With Hladky now at the club, Burnley can afford to sell Trafford, and it seems they may look to bring in a replacement, with Fulham's Marek Rodak and Bournemouth's Mark Travers both believed to be on their radar.
Rodak and Travers have both won promotion under Parker at Fulham and Bournemouth respectively, so they would be good additions for the Clarets, and while it remains to be seen if the club can recoup what they paid for Trafford, they will still be able to secure a sizeable fee.
Having a good goalkeeper is essential to a successful team, and with Hladky and potentially one of Rodak and Travers on their books, Burnley would be well-stocked in that department.