Nicky Hayen issues 'behind the scenes' Burnley transfer update | OneFootball

The Burnley boss has insisted he wants to improve the squad ahead of the transfer window closing on September 1

Burnley head coach Nicky Hayen insists that the higher-ups at Turf Moor are working tirelessly to add to the squad this summer, but admitted that they'll have to be patient, too.

The Clarets begin life back in the Championship when they welcome West Ham United a week on Sunday. Turf Moor has seen promotions with at least 100 points in their last two seasons at the level, so expectations are high ahead of the 2026/27 campaign.

Therefore, so far, there's a little frustration at how slowly Burnley have gone about their transfer business.

It's often the case that recently relegated teams can take a little longer to get their deals underway, as those who see themselves as top-flight worthy have to be shipped out before incomings can be made, and that's happened at Turf Moor so far.

Nicky Hayen urges patience with Burnley transfers this summer

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So far this summer, Maxime Esteve, Loum Tchaouna, Jaidon Anthony and Luca Koleosho have all left Burnley for fees, while Lesley Ugochukwu and Quilindschy Hartman have both left on loan.

With the likes of Martin Dubravka and Axel Tuanzebe both departing too, that's plenty of first-team quality players that Burnley will have to replace this summer, and thus far, only two people are through the door.

Ugo Raghouber and Lluc Castell have both arrived from Lille and Espanyol, respectively. Florentino Luis' loan deal was made permanent, but he's set to continue his Premier League career with Ipswich Town, while Ashley Barnes agreed a one-year extension to stay at Turf Moor this season.

With the new season on the horizon, it's understandable that there's some worry amongst the Burnley fanbase about the speed of their transfer business, but new boss Nicky Hayen has reassured fans that the higher-ups are working tirelessly to improve the squad.

"We're busy behind the scenes with other players," Hayen told the Burnley Express. "We want to improve the team, that's for sure. We can also use some quality. But we're busy behind the scenes.

"Of course, as a manager you want these players to come as fast as possible. But you have a market, and sometimes you have to be patient. Sometimes you can rush things.

"For example, with Ugo, you can see that he's actually an asset for the team. He still has to adapt a little bit to the tempo, but you see that he has quality. Step by step, we want to make this step forward."

Burnley's early business this summer reflects two years ago under Scott Parker

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This is the third Championship campaign following relegation from the Premier League in the last five years for Burnley. Evidently, the fans want some top-flight stability in their future, but they have to get back out of the second tier first.

So far, though, their summer business is quite similar to that under Scott Parker in the 2024/25 campaign, their last in the Championship.

Numerous players moved on after relegation, such as Wilson Odobert, Sander Berge and Dara O'Shea, to name three, and the majority of their signings were made in the final days of the summer transfer window.

The likes of Jaidon Anthony, Hannibal Mejbri, Joe Worrall, Josh Laurent, Zian Flemming, Jeremy Sarmiento and Oluwaseun Adewumi were all brought to Turf Moor in the final week of the summer window two years ago, reflecting a busy end to the summer.

While the Clarets were utterly dominant in the Championship under Parker, losing just two games and conceding 16 goals, there's not much appetite for a similar transfer window to unfold under new boss Nicky Hayen.

Burnley need to act quickly to adapt in a more competitive Championship this summer

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So far, Burnley don't have that recognisable quality in their squad to compete in what's set to be a competitive Championship campaign this season.

The Clarets don't come down as one of the immediate title favourites this time round, with West Ham and Wolves also relegated from the Premier League alongside them.

Strangely, despite their Premier League pedigree, they've both been seemingly able to persuade their top players from last season to stick around for the new campaign or, in Wolves' case especially, brought in top-flight-level players to offset sales.

Whereas at Burnley, everything just seems to be a few steps behind everyone else.

They were the final club to sort out their manager situation this summer, and it's evident they didn't land their first-choice option, with how public their pursuit of Craig Bellamy was, and that's seemingly had a knock-on effect on transfers, as Hayen looks to put his stamp on things.

The Clarets host Notts County in the EFL Cup on Saturday before their curtain-raiser against West Ham