Burnley hero set to leave in 2027 - Derby County & Charlton must be ready to pounce | OneFootball

Burnley's Josh Cullen is set to leave the club at the end of the season, as Derby County and Charlton Athletic should be on alert

Burnley have had a difficult start to the 2026/27 campaign upon their return to the Championship, winning none of their opening eight league games and being dumped out of the League Cup to Bradford City, as head coach Nicky Hayen eagerly awaits the return of his club captain.

Burnley head into the international break rock-bottom of the second tier, having already conceded more (17) than they did across the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign (16).

It would be fair to suggest that things haven't exactly gone to plan for new boss Hayen, who has so far been given the benefit of the doubt, and will seemingly be allowed to try and steer his way out of this mess.

Upon their away clash with Watford after the break, the Belgian will be hoping for as strong a squad selection as possible, including the return of club captain Josh Cullen, who has been sidelined since December with an ACL injury.

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Cullen, 30, came through the academy of West Ham United, and spent time on loan with the likes of Bradford, Bolton Wanderers, and Charlton Athletic before making the move to Belgian giants Anderlecht in 2020 for a mere £500k.

After two years in Brussels, the Irishman headed back to the United Kingdom with Burnley in 2022 for around £3 million, following Vincent Kompany to Turf Moor, and has played key roles in two promotions from the Championship for the Clarets.

However, after suffering an ACL injury against Everton in December, the club captain has been on the sidelines ever since, and out of contract at the end of the season, there have been no reported talks as yet to indicate that his time in Lancashire will be extended.

As things stand, despite Burnley having the option to extend his stay for a further year, he's set to leave Turf Moor in 2027, as Football League World takes a look at two current Championship clubs that should be monitoring his situation closely over the next nine months or so.

Charlton Athletic

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Charlton, after three wins on the spin to open their Championship account for this season, are winless in their last five heading into the international break, as head coach Nathan Jones takes his time to prepare for the next block of games in an attempt to get back to winning ways.

The Addicks largely relied upon free transfers and loans over the summer, bringing in each of Karlan Grant, Danny McNamara, and Nathaniel Chalobah in for nothing, whilst Tyler Bindon, Timothy Noor Ouma, and Arthur Okonkwo arrived on loan.

As Jones looks to push Charlton up the table this year, the lack of investment into the squad won't have helped his case, and should they find themselves in a similar position next year, someone like Cullen would be a wonderful signing.

The 47-capped Irish international made 66 appearances across all competitions during a two-year loan spell at The Valley between 2018 and 2020, playing a key role in Charlton's promotion to the Championship in 2019.

Given his affinity with the club already, a return to South East London would surely be a popular move for the midfielder, and given Jones' preference for using experienced midfielders, Cullen would slot right into the Welshman's starting XI with ease.

Whether Cullen would consider rejoining the Addicks at this stage remains to be seen, but Charlton would be remiss to not attempt to reunite with the Irishman next summer, especially on a free transfer.

Derby County

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Derby County have won just one of their opening eight league games to begin the season, but having won just one of their opening ten the previous campaign, alarm bells are not ringing just yet for John Eustace.

The Rams enjoyed a solid transfer window, even if it did appear to be tricky at times, as Alex Mowatt, Bobby Clark, and David Ozoh all joined to reinforce the middle of the park.

However, Ozoh has a history of injury troubles already, and with Lewis Travis having missed a chunk of the season already, Derby have been notably short in that area of the pitch.

Eustace prefers to sign experienced players, case in point with Mowatt, and should the opportunity to sign Cullen for free arrive, then that may be something the former Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers boss finds too difficult to turn down.

With ample experience in both the Championship and Premier League, Cullen would be an excellent fit for any second tier club, including Derby, who would be remiss to not explore the possibility of the Irishman's addition.