Alan Pace urged to repeat West Ham, Jarrod Bowen trick with 'terrific' Burnley star | OneFootball

Burnley fan pundit Aaron Wright has urged the club to resist any offers that may arrive for Zian Flemming after his two goals against West Ham.

Burnley picked up a point on the opening day of the Championship season thanks to two late Zian Flemming goals against West Ham.

Even though it was a close game, the Clarets looked set for defeat in Nicky Hayen’s first game, but Flemming pulled one back from the spot, before he crashed in an equaliser in stoppage time.

The ex-Millwall man was a constant threat to the Hammers from the first whistle, and he would have felt he should’ve done much more from two headed chances that came his way as the visitors struggled to deal with his physicality.

Burnley told to offer Zian Flemming a new contract to fend off Premier League interest

There has been speculation surrounding Flemming’s future earlier in the transfer window, with reports previously claiming that Leeds and Brentford were monitoring the Dutchman.

Yet, for whatever reason, nothing materialised, but the 28-year-old’s performance against the Hammers would’ve been a timely reminder to top flight clubs about what he can offer and Everton have now reportedly joined the race.

So, when quizzed by FLW about whether his display would attract further interest, Burnley fan pundit Aaron Wright admitted fresh interest is inevitable, but he had confidence that Alan Pace will resist offers for the player, as he explained why they must go all-out to keep Flemming.

“There will be interest in him, absolutely.

“When you see West Ham linked with Joel Piroe, the obvious thing for Leeds to do is to buy Flemming!

“The thing is, we can’t lose him, there’s no way we can. I’m not saying he will be our only goal threat all year, as Dastan Satpayev looks promising, and I thought Armando Broja looked good when he came on against West Ham. But, Flemming is the main man.

“Do I think Pace will sell him? Surprisingly, no, for one reason. Anyone who can remember, a few years ago we went up to Sunderland and everybody was leaving, we’re playing strikers in centre-midfield, and everyone was leaving.

“Then we went to Wolves in the midweek, when they were after Luca Koleosho, and Pace said he wasn’t leaving, after a £25m offer for a player we signed for £2m - exactly what our model is supposed to be!

“But, Pace said no. In the end he didn’t play the part we wanted, but we kept an asset at the time. I think, at this point, you tell Flemming we will give him a Bowen deal. Premier League wages for one season with a release clause of £20m, or something that is attainable should we not get promoted.

“Offer him that contract and get him to give us one year. He’s a terrific player, he should’ve gone to the World Cup, as anyone who saw Netherlands play. He is the player to have on a big wage. Build that team around him and we will win promotion again.

“There is a possibility that someone comes in with crazy money, but I don’t think Pace will sell him. Others may go, but not Flemming.”

Burnley must do all they can to keep Zian Flemming

It’s difficult to say that Burnley must keep Flemming no matter what, as they could get a truly ridiculous offer, and, in that case, it may be better for the football club if they do accept it.

But, when you take into account what promotion is worth, which is believed to be in excess of £200m, then Burnley must hold out for a huge sum for their star man.

There’s no getting away from the fact that if Flemming stays at Turf Moor, their chances of promotion increase significantly.

He came up against Konstantinos Mavropanos and Max Kilman on Sunday, who are arguably the best centre-back partnership in the league, and they simply couldn’t live with Flemming.

As mentioned, he scored twice, but he could’ve easily had a few more, and his all-round game was excellent.

So, it would be a huge surprise if offers didn’t come for the player, and he would be tempted to return to the Premier League, especially at his age.

But, Burnley are in a strong position here. Firstly, Flemming is under contract until 2029, and they have already sold players to help balance the books after relegation.

Plus, if they do lose their main forward, he will need to be replaced, and the clock is ticking in terms of finalising a suitable player to fill his boots, so Burnley may benefit from directing any available money into a new and improved contract for Flemming.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out, but if Flemming is a Burnley player after the deadline, Hayen will fancy his chances of leading the team back to the Premier League.