Andros Townsend confesses crying over the unsuccessful Burnley move.
Andros Townsend has said that the collapse of a potential transfer to Burnley during this summer’s transfer window left him in tears.
After leaving Premier League club Everton in the summer after two injury-plagued seasons at Goodison Park, the 32-year-old is still a free agent.
Townsend played 27 appearances for the Merseysiders, making seven goals in that time. However, the attacker did not participate in his team’s 2022–23 season because of a major ACL injury he suffered the previous year.
The former England international is searching for a new employer after a failed relationship with top-flight newcomers Burnley. He has been out of action for almost 18 months.
Townsend discussed the effects the unsuccessful attempt to sign with Vincent Kompany’s Clarets had on him during the summer transfer window in an interview with BBC Sport.
Townsend told the hosts of BBC Radio 5’s Monday Night Club, “It was perhaps one of the hardest talks I have had in my career.
“If I was unreliable and knew I wouldn’t land a job, I could get ready. But when I was looking at homes, considering schools, and discussing squad sizes, I was shocked to learn that the contract was no longer available.
“I argued my argument and made my point. That I stand out from the crowd, that I enjoy being a team player and get along well with my teammates even when I’m not on the field.
Even if the player impressed Kompany over the summer, his pleadings from the former Crystal Palace star were insufficient to get him a contract at Turf Moor.
Townsend was on trial for a portion of the preseason with the Lancashire club, and it is said that the Clarets were willing to offer the winger a contract that would have lasted at least until the 2023–24 season.
However, it’s said that Burnley manager Kompany had to rethink his offer to Townsend, a 13-time international, after the additions of Zeki Amdouni and Luca Koleosho from Basel and Espanyol, respectively.
The former Tottenham Hotspur player continued by describing how, in order to stay in shape before a potential transfer, he trained with Spurs’ Under-18 team in the closing weeks of the window.
Townsend adds that a Turkish team, which he does not identify, briefly expressed interest in hiring him. The attacker spent deadline day trying to make a last-minute transfer happen.
A third-division Saudi Arabian team reportedly wanted to sign the former Birmingham City player, but the player quickly learned that the team’s owner had taken over his transfer business for the summer.
Burnley has had a difficult start to the season after passing on the chance to sign Townsend, with a team that has little experience playing in the top tier earning only one point from their first five Premier League games.
