Burnley FC: Promotion could saddle Scott Parker with £10m flop | OneFootball

Jaidon Anthony has struggled with Burnley since his summer arrival from Bournemouth.

Going into the midweek round of fixtures, Burnley sat fourth in the Championship table, with their loss at Millwall on Sunday just their second defeat of the season.

So, it’s hard to be too critical of the Clarets, particularly when you take into account that Scott Parker had to oversee a huge turnover of players following their relegation from the Premier League.

Yet, there’s no doubt that there are some alarming patterns emerging from Burnley’s games, with their lack of goals a major concern.

Burnley’s attacking woes this season

A return of 17 goals in 13 games is a decent return, but when you dig a bit deeper, it becomes a real worry for the Clarets.

That’s because nine of those goals came in the first two games, with the squad having changed since then. That means in the past 11 Championship outings, they have found the net just eight times, which is clearly not good enough.

Of course, it’s a collective responsibility for this poor output, with some players guilty of missing chances, and the manager will also have to look at himself to see if he is going with the right setup.

Jaidon Anthony endures tough start with Burnley

Nevertheless, individuals do have to take responsibility, and one man who is not hitting the heights expected is Jaidon Anthony.

The winger joined Burnley in the summer, and it looked a good deal on paper.

Anthony has already proven himself in the second tier in the past, having won promotion with Bournemouth, and registering 15 goal contributions, in the 2021/22 season.

What’s more, that came under Parker, so there would have been hope that he could quickly rediscover those levels after a difficult few years since that campaign.

But, for whatever reason, Anthony hasn’t got going yet, even if he does have one goal and two assists in 10 games.

There have been underwhelming performances, and a missed sitter at Hull was a tough moment for the player.

Part of the deal that brought Anthony to Turf Moor means promotion will trigger an obligation to sign the 24-year-old on a permanent basis for a fee of around £10m.

Right now, that’s looking very steep, and supporters will be questioning why the recruitment team agreed an eight-figure deal for someone who may not be able to cut it in the Premier League - if they get there.

Jaidon Anthony has time to win over Burnley fans

Despite the negativity, it should be said that Anthony has time to get things right.

Burnley’s injury situation means he will be given more opportunities, and, in Parker, he has a manager that has shown faith in him in the past.

At his best, Anthony is a joy to watch in the Championship, as he is a powerful, quick, direct winger who boasts good technique and a fierce shot, but he hasn’t shown that enough so far.

His challenge is to get back to the form he showed with Bournemouth, which would make him a real asset to this meek Burnley attack.

All connected to Burnley, including the manager, could do with him finding it sooner rather than later.