"He was in a strange team" - Burnley: Claim made on "magic" Zeki Amdouni | OneFootball

FLW's Burnley fan pundit discusses whether the club's record signing has proven good value for money

Burnley endured a busy summer transfer window following their relegation from the Premier League.

Scott Parker was appointed as manager following Vincent Kompany’s departure to Bayern Munich.

The Clarets made a number of changes to their first team squad, including loaning out their club record signing Zeki Amdouni.

According to Swiss outlet Blick, Burnley paid €18 (£15.2) million to sign the forward from FC Basel in the summer of 2023.

But he has now been sent out on loan to Benfica for the rest of this season, having opted to avoid playing Championship football for the year.

Zeki Amdouni’s Burnley value

When asked whether Amdouni has proved good value for money, FLW’s Burnley fan pundit claimed that it is still too early to tell with the 23-year-old.

He believes that the player still possesses a lot of potential and could yet come good for the Clarets, but admitted that he hasn’t quite lived up to expectation so far.

“Our record signing at the club is Zeki Amdouni,” Rogers told Football League World.

“It’s really hard to say whether they lived up to the value because he was in a strange team under Vincent Kompany that never really adapted to stay in the Premier League, to allow players to shine properly and to let the time shine properly, and let it be as good as it should be.

“But, on a personal, individual basis, Zeki Amdouni, I think, his ability stands out for all to see in the Premier League.

“It’s clear that he’s got the talent to reach the very talent, I think we only paid £18.5 million for him, but he’s got bits of magic in him.

“He pulls out magic moments, he can turn defenders inside out, he’s just one of them electric players that gets bums off seats, so to speak.

“This season he’s opted not to play in the Championship, which is fine because the Championship is not his level whatsoever, so he’s gone on loan to Benfica, so he’ll get Champions League football, he’ll have a good run in their league, and hopefully a bit of joy.

“Hopefully if we get promoted he can come back in and prove that worth that he has.

“At the minute, has he proved that the value is there? Not yet.

“Could he? Yes, definitely. Will he? Not 100 per cent sure just yet.”

Zeki Amdouni’s Burnley career

Amdouni made 34 appearances in the Premier League last season for Burnley, including 27 starts, as the team finished 19th in the table (all stats from Fbref).

He contributed five goals and one assist for the team, but was unable to help prevent them from suffering relegation straight back to the second division.

While he did feature in two of their opening Championship fixtures, even scoring in their 5-0 win over Cardiff City, he has ultimately gone out on loan to Portugal.

Burnley will be hoping to gain promotion this year without him, and then potentially reintegrate him back into the side in 2025, or offload him on a permanent basis.

Zeki Amdouni has a ways to go to prove value for money

Amdouni hasn’t lived up to expectation yet, with the standout moment of his Burnley career being an equalising goal at Old Trafford last season.

While he could yet still go on to have a very fruitful and successful career at Turf Moor, the decision to splash the cash on him hasn’t paid off so far.

A positive loan spell at Benfica could prove crucial to potentially recouping the cost of signing him next year, if they decide to sell him on a permanent basis.