Burnley: Shock Alan Pace decision involving Vincent Kompany offers bittersweet memories - View | OneFootball

Kompany's tenure at Turf Moor started off very well, but didn't end on the best note.

It was a bit of a surprise when it was revealed that Burnley were going to appoint Vincent Kompany.

At the time, the former Manchester City captain had just left Anderlecht and could have wanted another top-flight job, but the Clarets' chairman Alan Pace managed to lure him to Turf Moor.

Having been relegated to the Championship, the club arguably did well to lure Kompany to Lancashire, even though the opportunity to manage in England was a very good one for the Belgian.

Kompany didn't exactly enjoy the easiest start to life at the club, with Nick Pope, Nathan Collins, Dwight McNeil and Max Cornet all being sold during the 2022 summer window.

All four of these players were key first-teamers, so replacing them was going to be a challenge.

However, Kompany was given the opportunity to put his stamp on the squad by bringing in quite a few players, and some of these players made a real difference during the 2022/23 campaign.

Manuel Benson, Josh Cullen, Vitinho and Anass Zaroury, who were all signed by Kompany during his first window in charge, were all magnificent during his first season at the helm.

Burnley made a bright start to life under Vincent Kompany

There was a lot of movement during the summer window and with this in mind, it's no shock that the Lancashire club didn't make the best start to the 2022/23 season.

They won just one of their opening five league games, but they were nothing short of exceptional after that.

The Clarets played an exciting brand of football and were the best team in the second tier by some distance, only losing three league matches all season.

One of those losses came in the opening five games and their other losses were against Sheffield United (A) and Queens Park Rangers (H).

Against the Blades, they probably deserved to lose that match with the game ending up at 5-2 in the end, but it has to be said that United were the other team that finished in the top two at the end of that season.

The QPR game, however, was a match that Kompany's side definitely should have won.

99 times out of 100, they would win that game, but Gareth Ainsworth's side managed to secure the three points during that afternoon. It's worth noting that the Clarets had also been promoted at this point.

In the following game, they responded well, and Manuel Benson's strike against rivals Blackburn Rovers allowed the club to secure the second-tier title at a rival's home patch.

That was a very memorable night for Burnley fans and not long after, the club was preparing for life in the Premier League.

The 2023/24 campaign was full of negatives for Burnley and Vincent Kompany

Unfortunately for Kompany, his team were unable to build on that success last term, with the club deserving to be relegated at the end of the 2023/24 campaign.

A high-spending 2023 summer window could have given them the opportunity to push on, but they struggled to adapt to life at the top level with Kompany's style.

Spending a lot but finishing in 19th place, the ex-Man City player started to split opinions within the fanbase as the campaign wore on.

They did show some fight during the latter stages of the season, losing just one league game in eight between mid-March and the end of April, but it was too little, too late in the end.

And having done a very good job during his first campaign at Turf Moor, Kompany became the subject of criticism.

Despite this and the fact his side were relegated at the end of last term, he was offered the opportunity to manage Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich, and it was an opportunity he took.

Kompany's tenure provided some memorable moments, especially during the first season.

The win away at Middlesbrough to secure promotion was a memorable night - and their title win at Ewood Park probably topped that.

The Clarets were superb throughout much of his first season - and it wouldn't have been a surprise if he moved on after that - having done so well.

But he stayed and was fully backed by the board, who spent a sizeable amount last summer.

Some of these additions, including Wilson Odobert and Sander Berge, both proved to be shrewd additions, with the pair shining at the top level and doing enough to earn moves back to the top flight this summer.

But some of their signings didn't work out very well - and the Clarets were left with a very bloated squad during the early stages of the summer.

Fans were probably more annoyed about that than his move to Bayern.

Although some supporters will feel that he didn't deserve that move up following relegation, few fans begrudged him the chance to make the move to Germany.

It's just a shame for all involved that he was unable to end his spell at Turf Moor on a better note.