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Burnley: “Relentless” Luca Koleosho could get most out of Amdouni
Burnley have already brought in four new faces this summer and could be about to add another in Espanyol winger Luca Koleosho.
Burnley have bolstered a squad that ran away with the Championship title last season, but Vincent Kompany’s transfer business does not appear to be over just yet.
Which players have left Burnley?
The Clarets collected 101 points from their 46 matches last season to ensure a swift return to the Premier League in Kompany’s first season in charge.
Ashley Barnes has since swapped Turf Moor for Norwich City, while Taylor Harwood-Bellis has returned to parent club Manchester City, with no sign of a return being on the cards.
Kompany has acted swiftly to plug the gaps, though, as defender Dara O’Shea, forward Zeki Amdouni, winger Nathan Redmond and goalkeeper James Trafford have all arrived, while Michael Obafemi and Jordan Beyer have turned their loan moves into permanent acquisitions.
Another winger could now be on their way to the newly-promoted side, as BBC Sport reports that Burnley are in advanced talks with Espanyol to sign Luca Koleosho, who is valued in the region of £2.6m.
Who is Espanyol winger Luca Koleosho?
Koleosho made just four appearances for Espanyol in La Liga last season, each of those coming from the substitutes’ bench as he totalled just 54 minutes on the field, as per Soccerway.
The 18-year-old scored once for Espanyol, who finished 19th and were subsequently relegated to the Segunda Division, meaning they may have to cash in on some players – Koleosho among them.
United States-born Koleosho put that disappointment behind him by featuring five times for Italy in their successful U19 European Championship triumph last week.
While still relatively unknown and untested, Koleosho has shown he is capable of finding the net at the highest level, scoring as he did in Espanyol’s 3-3 draw with Almeria on the final day of last season.
Koleosho can play through the middle, on the left or indeed on the right, with the latter where he has featured most regularly. The youngster registered 4.29 crosses per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, albeit over a small sample size.
To put that into some perspective, only Johann Berg Gudmundsson (5.37), Manuel Benson (6.51) and Anass Zaroury (6.74) averaged more for Burnley in the Championship last season.
Koleosho was also successful with 5.71 take-ons per 90 last season, compared to 2.17 for Burnley’s best-performing regular first-teamer in Benson, though the latter did play substantially more minutes.
Still, it gives a good indication of what Koleosho is all about, and it could be particularly good news for new recruit Amdouni. The Switzerland international was joint-top scorer in the Europa Conference League with seven goals last season.
Amdouni has work to do if he is to become Kompany’s first choice up top, of course, but he could form a strong partnership with Koleosho, who has previously been hailed as “relentless” by his mother Melissa Vallera-Koleosho in an interview with The Athletic.
With that type of fighting spirit, and an ability to make an impact at the highest level at a young age, Burnley may be about to add another gem to a squad that looks more than capable of avoiding an instant relegation.
