Exclusive: Claim made on CJ Egan-Riley's Burnley FC future as West Ham plot move | OneFootball

Joe Jacobson has offered his verdict on whether Egan-Riley could stay at Turf Moor or leave the club with the Hammers linked

Ex-Wycombe Wanderers defender turned EFL pundit Joe Jacobson believes that Burnley have a good chance of keeping CJ Egan-Riley at the club for next season if they get promoted, with his contract set to expire this summer, but a potential move to West Ham may be too good to turn down if the Clarets remain in the second-tier.

Egan-Riley has been with Burnley since a 2022 move from Manchester City, but has had to wait until this season to display his talents on a consistent basis at Turf Moor.

Despite being relatively inexperienced for a 22-year-old, he has been a real standout at the back for Scott Parker so far this term in the Clarets' promotion push alongside the likes of Maxime Esteve, Bashir Humphreys, Connor Roberts and former City teammate James Trafford.

The England youth international signed a three-year contract at the club when he joined, so with his current deal set to expire at the end of this campaign and no new agreement reached as yet, his impressive form has alerted the Hammers to his potential availability in the months to come.

Joe Jacobson makes CJ Egan-Riley contract verdict amid West Ham interest

Egan-Riley's first appearances for the Clarets came in the Championship in his first campaign at the club, but he was soon loaned out to Hibernian in January 2023, and went on to make 14 appearances in the Scottish Premiership.

He failed to play in the Premier League last season under Vincent Kompany, so was again loaned out in the winter window to PSV Eindhoven, but was surprisingly assigned to their under-21 side rather than the senior team.

The 22-year-old returned to Turf Moor in the summer with a new challenge to get himself into the team under boss Parker, and he has been a near mainstay in one of the most impressive Championship defences ever so far this term as they aim for an immediate return to the top-flight.

With his Clarets' contract set to expire in June, ExWHUEmployee has revealed that the defender is a prime target for West Ham, and has claimed that the Premier League outfit are expected to step up their interest in Egan-Riley ahead of the summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, ex-Wycombe defender turned EFL pundit Joe Jacobson has admitted that it will be difficult for Burnley to keep hold of the England under-21 international if the Hammers' interest turns into a genuine contract offer soon, but believes that they will hold a much better chance of retaining his services if they do win promotion to the Premier League.

“CJ Egan-Riley has been very, very good, and obviously an ever-present for (Burnley) this season," Jacobson told FLW.

“(He has) contributed so much to the wonderful defensive unit that Burnley have had this season, and the record-breaking unit that they’ve had with the back four and James Trafford behind them as well.

“Egan-Riley has been instrumental in that. His calmness on the ball, coming through the Manchester City academy you need to be very good on the ball and competent in that.

“I believe that he will go on to have a great Premier League career. Is it too soon for him to go? It’s very difficult to turn down a club like West Ham if they come knocking for you.

“For Burnley, of course they are going to want to keep him and offer him a new contract. I don’t think they need to go and break their wage structure to necessarily do that.

“I don’t think they’ll be able to compete with West Ham financially, but of course they want to do what they can to keep hold of him.

“If they do get promoted, which I think they will end up doing, then he is going to be in the team next season and playing week-in, week-out.

“Yes, it’s going to be difficult, and obviously at the minute West Ham are a bigger, more stable club than Burnley in the Premier League, but it has been his first year of properly playing consistently.

“Does he want to then go back to maybe playing at West Ham, being in and around it, or not playing as many games there?

“It’s a really tough decision for him, if a team like West Ham do come in for him.”

Egan-Riley is happy to stay at Burnley, but West Ham interest will surely appeal

Egan-Riley's strong form has been a huge revelation at Turf Moor this season - Scott Parker has built his side's promotion challenge on being tough to break down at the back, which has worked brilliantly so far with the 22-year-old at the heart of their success despite being out in the cold last season.

Parker's side only need to keep three more clean sheets in the final seven league games to break the record for the most shutouts in a single season in English league history.

It is no wonder, then, that Egan-Riley is garnering interest from a Premier League side in West Ham, much like his teammates Esteve and Trafford, who could well find themselves in the top-flight even if they do not clinch promotion this term.

Egan-Riley admitted to the Burnley Express in February that he would like to stay at the club beyond this summer, and that he feels he has a "strong connection" to the Clarets supporters following their successes together this season.

That feeling is reciprocated by boss Parker, but it is understandable as to why they are waiting for the season to finish to begin talks so as to not distract the 22-year-old while he has a job to do in getting them promoted.

With that said, the longer they wait to sort his future out, then the longer they leave other clubs to make their move contract-wise. West Ham have seemingly already made their intentions clear, and that would be a huge step forward for him to take both on and off the pitch, with the Irons able to offer a much better guarantee of Premier League survival, as well as an increase in weekly wages.

Given the Irons' interest, it is clear that Burnley have to seal promotion this time around, or Egan-Riley's June exit will feel like a foregone conclusion as soon as the season ends. Numerous factors are set to dictate his short-term future, and Clarets supporters will hope that he remains at Turf Moor for 2025/26 with the club back in the top-flight.