Sean Dyche launches brutally honest Burnley FC message | OneFootball

Sean Dyche has questioned Burnley's recruitment after they were relegated for a third time in five years from the Premier League.

Burnley have suffered a third relegation from the Premier League in five years after a difficult season under Scott Parker.

The Clarets were always going to find it difficult to stay in the top flight, but, in truth, they haven’t put up much of a fight, with the team having won just four times all season.

Parker’s departure has already been confirmed, but the inquest into why Burnley struggled so much is sure to drag on, as the hierarchy look for answers following more investment into the team that backfired.

Sean Dyche criticises Burnley’s recruitment after another relegation

Ultimately, the aim for Burnley is to establish themselves back in the top flight, which is going to be difficult, but that’s what they had done under Sean Dyche.

The ex-Nottingham Forest chief led Burnley to six consecutive years in the Premier League, which included reaching Europe.

So, he is well qualified to discuss Burnley’s failure to go up, and when asked about their struggles on TalkSPORT, Dyche questioned the recruitment, and suggested they should change their approach of targeting younger players.

“They’ve done the same thing again, and it hasn’t worked again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not an easy task, but they go up, having done a brilliant job last season, remodel it by bringing in a lot of younger players for a lot of money, for around £120m.

“Then, they’ve gone down again. So, you go, it didn't work the last time, and it hasn’t worked this time, so surely you’ve got to look at the fundamentals of your recruitment strategy and what you’re doing.

“Everyone in football wants to sign young, talented players, win, develop and sell them - everyone wants to do that! But it’s clearly not that easy, and Burnley have tried it twice now and it hasn’t worked. So, it’s not an easy model to follow, it’s not impossible but it’s very difficult.”

Burnley’s recruitment did not work out following promotion

Burnley might argue that they did go down a different route to only signing young players, as they brought in Martin Dubravka and Kyle Walker, who are both proven Premier League players, and, Walker in particular, has achieved so much in the game.

As well as that, Florentino Luis and Quilindschy Hartman joined from big clubs in Benfica and Feyenoord respectively, where they played in Europe. So, they may feel they added know-how and experience to help the group.

But, whether they did tweak the approach or not, it’s clear it didn’t work, as Burnley’s relegation has been inevitable for a long time, and it’s not good enough when you consider the money they spent.

Sunderland are the obvious comparison, and fans will rightly wonder how they have managed to have such a good season when they finished 24 points behind them in the 2024/25 season, and the answer for many will be their transfers.

Therefore, Dyche’s point does have merit, and, as he says, it’s the third time in five years the recruitment will be under the spotlight. As well as that, questions will be asked of the managers they appoint, and whether they need to be more ruthless in that department.

Moving forward, it’s something Burnley need to change, as whilst they have no divine right to stay up, they should be more competitive after spending on a team that got 100 points in the Championship.

Now, the focus has to be on building another team that can win promotion, but, long-term, Burnley must have a strategy that can allow them to compete in the top flight.