Joe Bauress and Oluwaseun Adewumi could save Burnley FC millions in transfer fees | OneFootball

Burnley have struggled to produce many good youngsters in the past, but these two could save the club millions

Producing academy talent hasn't been something Burnley have been particularly good at down the years, with very few graduates stepping up to make the grade at Turf Moor.

It's been so poor in fact, that in the last almost 20 years, the Clarets have only produced two noteworthy graduates for themselves, with those two being Jay Rodriguez and Dwight McNeil.

The academy has certainly been a hotbed for producing talent for the lower EFL leagues, but in terms of nurturing talent that will come in and improve the Burnley first team, the Clarets have fallen considerably short.

That's despite even being granted Category One academy status at the turn of the decade, a status which should've helped them with recruiting better young talent, but that status was stripped from them in 2022.

Burnley are actively trying to regain their Category One status, but despite being demoted from that top grade, the academy has shown signs in recent months that they're starting to churn out a better standard of player.

That's been aided by also having the funds available to buy some better young players from around Europe, and the Clarets are now in a much better position to start promoting thier best talent.

Here, we look at two of the brightest prospects who could save the club millions in transfer fees...

Joe Bauress

Most Burnley fans know Joe Bauress as the club's youngest player to make a senior appearance since the turn of the century when he played in an EFL Cup tie against Crawley in November 2022, but since then have probably wondered where he'd gone.

Bauress suffered a nasty injury in pre-season before the 2023/24 campaign that kept him out for the entire season but he's returned to the fold now and is firmly back in the first-team picture.

The 18-year-old made his first Burnley start against Reading in the FA Cup earlier this month and produced a mightily impressive performance, playing a key role in two goals and claiming the club's man of the match award.

Bauress is widely regarded as the best talent the club have on their books at the moment, and most fans believe it's only a matter of time before he cracks the first-team picture.

With Josh Brownhill out of contract at the end of the season too, Burnley could save millions in finding a replacement if they put some trust in him.

Oluwaseun Adewumi

Oluwaseun Adewumi is something of an unknown quantity to Burnley fans, or at least he was when he signed from Austrian side Floridsdorfer for an undisclosed fee on transfer deadline day almost six months ago with the intention of being a star for the future.

He headed straight out on loan to Dundee FC, who the club have a partnership with, and although his loan deal was initially set to run out this month, it was recently extended to last the whole season.

The 19-year-old has impressed since moving north of the border and has recently scored in back-to-back matches against Celtic and Rangers which, both broadcast live on Sky Sports, have given Clarets fans a chance to catch a glimpse of a potential future star.

Playing off the wing, there were even some calls for him to be utilised in the first team now, but he will be allowed to continue his development in Scotland before he returns to Turf Moor at the end of the season.

With Luca Koleosho linked with a summer move to Bayern Munich, the Clarets will more than likely be in need of an extra winger in the coming months, but Adewumi, they could have a readymade replacement who could save the club millions of pounds.