Turf Moor outfit Burnley managed to get back into the Premier League just a season after being relegated and will hope that Sean Dyche can keep them there for a while this time around. They have already purchased 4 new players in the summer transfer market and it is now reported that the manager has all but completed his 5th signing of the summer.
Belgium international Steven Defour will finally make a move to the Premier League 7 years after he received a letter from Sir Alex Ferguson that he wants to sign him at Manchester United. The 28-year old midfielder played 46 internationals for his country but has recently lost his place in the side and was not a part of the squad that was involved in the EURO16 in France.
However, he is now set to try and revive his career with a move to the Premier League as Sean Dyche wants to add him to his midfield ahead of the next season. The 28-year old is an experienced midfielder who played in all the levels for his country. He burst into the scene at RC Genk as a 17-year old in 2005. Ever since, he has played for 4 different clubs including Portuguese giants FC Porto. He moved to Anderlecht in 2014 and has played almost every game for the Belgian side managing to pick up 9 goals in his stint.
Coming with a tag as Sir Alex Ferguson’s favorite, Defour is a central midfielder who is also comfortable playing as a defensive midfielder or even a right midfielder. He is a play-maker who loves to have the ball at his feet and is confident in possession. He is a silky player with outstanding technique and skill. He is not afraid of the physical part of the game and is comfortable going into tackles against his opponents.
His defending is disciplined but his biggest asset is how he can control the midfield. He is a superb dribbler with decent pace while his incision in passing often breaks teams up right through the middle almost embarrassingly. However, he has not shown consistency and has fallen away from a potential star to just a decent midfielder.
But he now has a great chance to resurrect his career, at the best possible age, with his move to the Turf Moor this summer. Sean Dyche used the likes of Dean Marney and Scott Arfield in the midfield, in their defeat to Swansea on the opening day at home and will want to add some quality to his side. Defour, who has enough experience to settle into a new league without much fuzz will be expected to take the responsibilities in the midfield for Burnley this season.
The likes of Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson, Michael Kightly, David Jones and Fredrik Ulvestad are also fighting for a place in the starting XI, but the manager is likely to go with Arfield and Defour in the midfield with Marney and Guðmundsson as back-ups. It will be interesting to see how the 28-year old adjust to his new team but if he can start confidently, he may well be able keep the Turf Moor outfit in England’s top flight for another season.
