£5m Burnley, Aston Villa agreement proved worthy for the Clarets: View | OneFootball

Burnley signed Ashley Westwood for £5 million in 2017 and it was worth every penny for the club.

Burnley’s decision to sign Ashley Westwood from Aston Villa back in 2017 is one that the club will look back on with great fondness.

The Clarets’ rise and fall from the Premier League over the years has meant the club has seen several players come and go from the football club.

Some of these players have proven to be excellent additions for the club, while others have struggled and will not be remembered as fondly by the supporters.

Signing Westwood back in 2017 may not have excited the club’s supporters at the time, but it was a deal that turned out to be worth every penny for Burnley.

Burnley signed Ashley Westwood for £5 million in 2017

Ashley Westwood started his career at Crewe Alexandra, where he played for the club’s under-18s before moving into the first team.

The midfielder had three football league seasons under his belt before he was snapped up by Premier League side Aston Villa.

Westwood was instantly thrown into the Villa team during the 2012/13 season, and he continued to play for the club for a number of seasons in the top flight.

The Midlands side was relegated to the Championship in the 2015/16 season, and while Westwood stayed with the club at first, in January 2017, he left Villa Park to join Burnley, who were at the time in the Premier League.

Sean Dyche was the club’s manager at the time, and he was keen to bring the midfielder to Turf Moor in a bid to improve his options in that area of the pitch.

Westwood signed a three-and-a-half-year deal when he joined the club, as it reportedly cost the Clarets £5 million to sign the midfielder from Aston Villa.

It was a deal that may have been seen as hefty at the time, but it was one that turned out to be worth it for Burnley.

Ashley Westwood's deal turned out to be successful for Burnley

Ashley Westwood played over 150 times for Aston Villa in the five seasons he was at the club, four of which were in the Premier League.

Therefore, the midfielder was a player who established himself in the Premier League before he joined Burnley.

Sean Dyche decided he wanted to take advantage of Villa being in the Championship by signing Westwood midway through the 2016/17 season, but it may have been seen as a gamble to pay £5 million for a player who hadn’t set the world alight in a Villa top.

However, it turned out to be a deal that was very successful for the Clarets, as they got a midfielder that produced some impressive performances in the Premier League, as well as making a contribution at both ends of the pitch.

Westwood’s best campaign for Burnley came in the 2018/19 season, as the midfielder scored two goals, but grabbed seven assists, as the Lancashire side beat the drop once again.

In that campaign, Westwood started 31 of the 34 league games he played, with him averaging 83 minutes per game.

The midfielder wasn’t able to make a big impression in terms of goals, as he only netted twice, but he could have potentially had more to his name that season, as he missed three big chances.

But Westwood did make a huge contribution when it came to creativity, as he created 10 big chances for his teammates and he also averaged 1.3 key passes, as per Sofascore.com.

Westwood’s time at the club was spent in the top flight and every season his importance in the team was clear to see, as he was always favoured under Dyche.

The 34-year-old played 181 times for the Clarets in all competitions, scoring seven goals and recording 23 assists.