How Burnley signing Morgan Whittaker from Plymouth Argyle could affect the dynamic in Scott Parker's team | OneFootball

FLW takes a look at how Morgan Whittaker fits into Burnley's system.

One of the stories of this window has been Burnley's attempts to sign Plymouth Argyle's Morgan Whittaker.

Having missed out on him in the summer, the Clarets returned this window and saw their initial offer knocked back by the Pilgrims.

Unsurprisingly, in their eagerness to make the 24-year-old their marquee signing, Burnley have tabled a second offer. According to BBC Sport, this bid is in the region of £5 million plus add-ons, but once again, it falls well short of Plymouth's valuation.

While it is understood they won't offer as much as they did in the summer, they could still pull off a deal with Whittaker not displaying the same explosive form that put him on the map in 2023-24.

With this in mind, at Football League World we have opted to look at what the right-winger can bring to Turf Moor and just how he would fit into Scott Parker's system.

Morgan Whittaker would slot seamlessly in on the right

Across his career, Whittaker has almost exclusively played off the right-side but can do a job anywhere in the front line. Ideally, the Clarets would be signing him to play in his favoured position.

So far this season, we have seen a number of players feature in this role, with Luca Koleosho and Jaidon Anthony the mainstays.

Together, they have contributed just three goals while playing on the right wing, and this shortcoming has forced Parker to take action.

If signed, Whittaker would slot seamlessly into that position and could thrive in a more possession-based style of play.

Getting the ball in more advanced areas, his job will be to create for those around him as well as himself.

The big issue for the Clarets this season has been creating chances, as despite sitting third in the league, their expected goals are ranked in the bottom five of the division. A similar trend is evident in the number of big chances created, with only Cardiff City and Plymouth having created fewer than Parker's side.

Signing Whittaker would go some way to improving this and would also allow Anthony to return to his preferred left-wing position, where he is far more effective at cutting inside onto his right foot.

This seems like an ideal move for both player and club, with Whittaker having a position hand-crafted for him at Turf Moor.

Zian Flemming will benefit from Whittaker signing

Forcing a deal over the line for Whittaker could have a positive impact on those ahead of him with Zian Flemming in desperate need of service whether he's playing as a No.9 or No.10.

This season, the former Millwall striker has been provided with an expected figure of 1.95 and has done remarkably well to essentially double that tally to four goals across the campaign.

In dying need of some opportunities, the Plymouth attacker could be the man to provide it with his chances created of 64, ranking in the top six percent of wingers in 2023-24.

While he has struggled to replicate that form this season, in a positive Burnley set-up, the 23-year-old could quickly rediscover his best, and it would be no surprise to see him rekindle the performances that made him stand out a year ago.

Looking back to last season, his 19 goals and eight assists kept Argyle up and without him, you would have to dread where they would be right now.

While the addition of Whittaker would displace players like Koleosho, the positives undoubtedly outweigh the negatives and everything points towards the right-winger being an excellent addition for Parker.