Luca Koleosho: Burnley in advanced talks to sign Espanyol winger
Burnley are in advanced talks to sign Italy youth international winger Luca Koleosho from Spanish side Espanyol.
Koleosho, 18, made four substitute appearances in La Liga last season, scoring once, as Espanyol finished 19th and were relegated to the second tier.
Born in the United States, Koleosho was part of the Italy squad that won the Under-19 European Championship last week.
He would become Burnley’s eighth summer signing for a reported £2.6m fee.
- How well equipped are Kompany’s Clarets for Premier League return?
In a busy week for the Clarets in the transfer market, they have signed winger Nathan Redmond on a free transfer and also confirmed deals for England Under-21 goalkeeper James Trafford from champions Manchester City and Switzerland forward Zeki Amdouni from Basel.
Manager Vincent Kompany has also brought in defender Dara O’Shea and goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux this summer, while loan moves for Jordan Beyer and Michael Obafemi have been made permanent.
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Burnley: “Flashy” Ferreira could get most out of Amdouni
Burnley have made four signings this summer and could be about to make a fifth in Gremio’s talented attacker Ferreira.
Burnley have been active in the transfer market ahead of their Premier League return, but manager Vincent Kompany does not appear to be finished just yet.
What players have Burnley signed this summer?
The Clarets continued their spending spree on Wednesday by bringing in Zeki Amdouni for a reported £16m. The Basel forward follows in the steps of Dara O’Shea, Michael Obafemi and Jordan Beyer in joining Burnley this summer, the latter two making their loan deals permanent.
James Trafford is also said to be close to arriving from Manchester City in a deal worth up to £19m, though a loan move for Borussia Dortmund’s Soumaila Coulibaly now appears to be off the cards.
According to Football Scotland, Brazilian attacker Ferreira is also being monitored by the newly-promoted side, though Celtic are considered to be the frontrunners for a player valued at £6m by Gremio.
Who is Gremio attacker Ferreira?
As highlighted by OliveFooty, Ferreira is known as a “flashy and skilful player” who is capable of playing on either wing and through the middle – the type of versatility that would come in handy for Kompany.
The 25-year-old has spent the first seven years of his senior career in Brazil, the past five of those on the books of Gremio, for whom he has made just short of 100 league appearances.
Ferreira played just nine times in Campeonato Brasileiro Serie B last season as Gremio earned promotion back to the top flight. The Dourados native’s momentum was disrupted by a hamstring injury that has also plagued him this season.
However, when fully fit, Ferreira has shown he can make an impact, highlighted by his three goals and six assists when Gremio were last in Serie A two years ago.
That is a return of 0.38 goals or assists per 90 minutes, as per FBref, which is the exact same number Josh Brownhill recorded at Burnley last season, for context.
While it is difficult to compare players across divisions, the data paints a clear picture of what Ferreira is all about. He averaged 3.42 shots per 90 minutes in his most recent full campaign – only Manuel Benson (3.62) and Scott Twine (4.19) shot more freely among Burnley regulars last season.
Ferreira is a player who can make an impact high up the pitch, then, and the same is true of Burnley’s latest signing Amdouni. Should last season’s Europa Conference League joint-top scorer lead the line for the Clarets, Ferreira could be the ideal man to play just off him.
The Brazilian averaged 0.55 goal-creating actions per 90 minutes in the 2021 campaign – a metric that takes passes and take-ons leading to a goal into the equation – which is a higher figure than any Burnley player could manage last season (Obafemi was highest with 0.51).
It may well be that Ferreira needs a bit of time to adapt should he indeed make the move from Porto Alegre to Lancashire, but if it is a wildcard option Kompany is after to potentially complete his attacking line-up, then the Gremio star may just be his man.
