BLACKBURN, ENGLAND - APRIL 25: Vincent Kompany, Manager of Burnley, is lifted up by his players after winning the Sky Bet Championship following victory in the Blackburn Rovers and Burnley at Ewood Park on April 25, 2023 in Blackburn, England. (Photo by Matt McNulty/Getty Images)
The Clarets are reportedly interested in snapping up the soon-to-be free agent.
Burnley romped their way to the Championship title with 101 points to secure promotion to the Premier League and Vincent Kompany must now navigate the summer transfer window to improve his squad.
Back in April, it was reported that the Clarets were interested in a deal to sign Ryan Kent on a free transfer from Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers.
Since then, the Gers have confirmed that the former Liverpool attacker will be leaving upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the month, which means that Burnley will be able to snap him up for nothing if they can beat other clubs to his signature.
The £18k-per-week magician has also been linked with Udinese, Bologna, and Fenerbahce and this suggests that Kompany will need to convince the forward to turn down other offers.
How did Ryan Kent perform this season?
He enjoyed a strong campaign in the Scottish Premiership with Rangers and showcased his creative flair, which could make him Burnley’s new Dwight McNeil.
Kent scored three goals and assisted ten in 29 appearances in the top flight for the Light Blues and produced 2.2 key passes per match for his teammates, which led to nine ‘big chances’ in total.
This came after the 26-year-old magician scored three times and assisted an eye-catching 19 goals in 46 outings in all competitions for the club in the 2021/22 season.
Journalist Andrew Dickson once claimed that the ace is “completely unplayable” when he is at his best and the aforementioned statistics illustrate that as the maestro has proven that he has the quality to provide chances and assists on a regular basis from out wide.
This makes him a potential match-winner for his side as the wizard has the ability to carve open opposition defences to create openings for his fellow attackers.
Therefore, Kent could be Burnley’s new McNeil as the academy graduate had similar qualities during his time at Turf Moor. Prior to joining Everton last summer, the England U21 international was an excellent creator for the Clarets. He created 23 ‘big chances’ in his last three Premier League seasons combined and made at least 1.3 key passes per game.
The 23-year-old assisted 17 goals in 147 outings for the Clarets and only scored seven times. This shows that, like Kent, McNeil is a creative threat who does not offer much in the way of goals from a wide position, which is why Kompany could find the next version of the Toffees star by swooping for the soon-to-be ex-Rangers dynamo.
