Burnley have taken Southampton’s spot in the Premier League and they may be about to raid the Championship-bound Saints for one of their key players.
What is Che Adams’ Southampton future?
According to TEAMtalk, Burnley are considering an approach for Che Adams to replace Ashley Barnes, who has made the move to Norwich City after almost a decade at Turf Moor.
Then-Southampton boss Nathan Jones strongly ruled out an exit for Adams in the January window, when Everton were said to be circling, but the Saints’ relegation has changed the complexion entirely.
Adams is now into the final year of his St Mary’s contract, and it is reported that a bid of £12m would be enough to land a player who is also still a target for Everton, as well as Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.
Where would Che Adams fit in at Burnley?
Vincent Kompany has transformed Burnley’s playing style, but that is not to say a route-one-type striker is not still valued as the Clarets look to add a Plan B of sorts for their return to the Premier League.
With an average of 2.76 aerial challenges won per 90 minutes over the past 12 months, Adams ranks among the top 18% of his positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues, as per FBref, while he is also high up the list for clearances per 90 minutes (0.99 – top 16%).
Those numbers are very similar to another British player who has been linked with a Premier League return in Roma’s Tammy Abraham. The former Chelsea striker is said to be available for around £40m, which is over three times the amount Adams could be signed for.
Abraham had a hugely successful first season in Serie A, but based on last season’s figures, there is not a great deal between him and Adams. Abraham edged things in terms of combined goals and assists per 90 minutes (0.45 v 0.36), but Adams came out better in other metrics.
For example, the Scotland international’s successful take-ons percentage of 48.5 was higher than that of Abraham (32.4), as was the number of carries he managed per 90 minutes (18.3 v 17.3) and completed passes per 90 minutes (14.9 v 14.1).
Perhaps more tellingly, Adams also ranks slightly higher for tackles per 90 minutes (0.77 v 0.70), which may be a big factor in why Kompany supposedly wants to bring him to Turf Moor. After all, Barnes averaged a near-identical 0.75 tackles per 90 minutes last season.
Adams is coming off the back of a decent enough Premier League campaign, with his five goals and three assists in 28 appearances not enough to keep the Saints in the top flight.
As pointed out by Ally McCoist, a prolific striker during his playing days, Adams is a “clever player” with his movement and someone capable of finding the net regularly with the right support.
The 26-year-old may not get the Burnley supporters’ pulses racing, having never hit double figures for Premier League goals, but his numbers put him on a par with players likely to be out of the Clarets’ reach this summer, making him a good value for money investment
