Burnley Face Battle to Shed ‘Yo-Yo’ Tag on Premier League Return | OneFootball

Burnley return to the Premier League after one year away, looking to string together back-to-back seasons in the top flight for the first time since 2021.

After a continued spell in the elite division between 2016 and 2021, they’ve been bouncing between the Premier League and Championship in the past four years.

Determined to shake off their ‘yo-yo’ club label, the Clarets have been among the most active English sides in the transfer window, working tirelessly to bolster their squad and avert another immediate drop.

Manager Scott Parker also returns to tier one with a point to prove after two disastrous stints at Bournemouth and Fulham.

Confidence stems from Burnley’s impressive 2024/25 season as they amassed 100 points, only to finish second behind Leeds United on goal difference.

Without further ado, let’s look at our Burnley season preview for 2025/26.

Burnley Fixtures

After collecting just 24 points in their last Premier League campaign, there’s a need for a strong start, but a trip to London to face Tottenham Hotspur on day one hardly fits the bill.

Burnley will likely search for their first points of the season in round two when they take on fellow promoted rivals Sunderland in their home setting.

A gruelling early fixture list threatens to undo Parker’s hard work from last season.

Trips to Manchester United and Manchester City, as well as a home clash against Liverpool, will test Burnley’s top-flight credentials by the end of September.

Parker’s side will meet fierce rivals Leeds at home in mid-October, with the reverse fixture taking place at Elland Road in early May.

Interestingly, each of Burnley’s four league games in November pits them against London clubs, including high-profile matches against Arsenal and Chelsea on home turf.

Burnley trade tackles with Everton on Boxing Day and complete the 2025 schedule at home against Newcastle United.

The start of the new calendar year cannot be more challenging, with Brighton & Hove Albion (A), Man Utd (H), Liverpool (A) and Tottenham (H) set to push the Clarets to their limits right out of the gate.

Their season ends at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Manager

As aforementioned, Parker returns to the Premier League with unfinished business, eager to prove he is the top-flight calibre and banish the memory of past stints at Bournemouth and Fulham.

Often criticised for his defensive-minded football, the 44-year-old found a way to make his formula work in the Championship last term, with Burnley conceding just 16 league goals.

That’s particularly impressive when factoring in the number of games they played in the second-tier competition, with the next-best defensive team capitulating 14 times more often than they did.

However, scoring has been a problem for all of Parker’s previous clubs, and last season was no exception as the Clarets averaged 1.5 goals per game despite winning 100 points.

Another low-scoring campaign is a virtual certainty, especially considering Burnley have never scored more than 45 goals in any of their previous nine Premier League seasons.

It’s also important to remember that Parker didn’t make it past August in his previous Premier League managerial role.

Transfers

It’s been a busy summer in Lancashire like never before. Determined to build a competitive team and avoid another immediate return to the second tier, Burnley have invested heavily in new signings.

After meeting expectations last season, Jaidon Anthony, Zian Flemming, Marcus Edwards and Bashir Humphreys have signed permanent contracts at Turf Moor.

In addition to them, Burnley have signed nine more players, including former Man City captain Kyle Walker and veteran goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from Newcastle.

Axel Tuanzebe has signed a short-term contract as a free agent, while Max Wiess arrived from Karlsruher to provide further competition in goal after James Trafford’s big-money switch to Man City.

Burnley and Chelsea have sorted out two more transfers, alongside the Humphreys deal. Armando Broja and Lesley Ugochukwu have swapped Stamford Bridge for Lancashire.

The Clarets have added Loum Tchaouna from Lazio and Jacon Bruun Larsen from Stuttgart, with Quilindschy Hartman arriving from Feyenoord to strengthen the left-back position.

In terms of the outgoing deals, there have been only a few.

Trafford’s return to the Etihad Stadium has poured around £31 million into the club’s coffers, while Han-Noah Massengo left for Augsburg in a deal worth £3.7m.

After failing to earn new contracts, Nathan Radmond, Josh Brownhill and Jonjo Shelvey have entered the free-agent pool.

Starting XI

Given the volume of new signings, predicting Burnley’s starting line-up for next season is virtually impossible.

The only certainty is that Parker will likely stick to his favourite 4-2-3-1 formation.

Despite being in the autumn of his playing career, Dubravka is the likeliest candidate to take Tafford’s place in goal.

Conor Roberts and Lucas Pires were the regular full-back pairing last season, but Walker’s arrival could dislodge the former from the starting spot.

Pires’ place is also in doubt now that Parker has Hartman at his disposal.

Tuanzebe may replace CJ Egan-Riley, who joined Marseille on loan, and partner up with Maxime Esteve in the center of Burnley’s defence.

Brownhill was omnipresent in the midfield’s double pivot last term, alongside captain Josh Cullen. With the veteran gone, Parker could turn to Ugochukwu to fill the vacancy.

Edwards was also a first-team regular during Burnley’s promotion-winning season and should be part of the front three, probably alongside Anthony and Hannibal Mejbri.

Flemming was often the first-choice striker in 2024/25, but he may tumble down the pecking order in favour of Broja.

(4-2-3-1): Dubravka; Walker, Esteve, Tuanzebe, Pires; Cullen, Ugochukwu; Edwards, Mejbri, Anthony; Broja.

Star Player

Brownhill had been Burnley’s standout performer for years. Only last year, he was the club’s top scorer in the Championship with 18 goals.

As such, the Clarets’ decision not to extend his contract makes very little sense. However, his exit means Parker needs a new talisman.

Although it’s hard to say who would step up to the task, Mejbri could be an unlikely hero.

The former Man Utd youngster enjoyed a stellar debut season in the Championship, featuring in 37 league matches and contributing five goals.

While that’s a far cry from Brownhill’s figures, Mejbri’s energy and ability to dictate play from midfield could make him a key figure in Burnley’s bid for survival.

Prediction

Burnley will face a street fight to avoid relegation in what promises to be a challenging Premier League season.

Their defensive strength may not be enough to compensate for ongoing struggles in the final third.

In all likelihood, they will struggle to stay up.

Predicted finish: 19th

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Read Next: Our full Premier League 2025/26 preview (with links to all individual Premier League team previews).