Just when the English players were starting to recover from their Euro nightmare, especially after their defeat to the surprise package of the tournament, Iceland, newly promoted club Burnley have handed them a rude shock by signing Icelandic winger Johann Berg Gudmundsson from Charlton Athletic. The England internationals face the prospect of being reminded of their inept performance throughout the season as they watch the spirited Gudmundsson sprint up and down the wing at Turf Moor.
Gudmundsson, who was part of Iceland’s impressive Euro 2016 campaign, has signed a three-year deal at Turf Moor with an option for a fourth in the club’s favour. The 25-year-old contributed 11 assists for Charlton in the Championship despite their relegation to League One and will look to carry forward his form into the top-tier.
Burnley have been playing hide-and-seek with the English Premier League and the Championship simultaneously for the last couple of seasons. The fans and the club will desperately want this to end after emerging as Champions of the second tier of English club football. Burnley, who became the smallest town to host a Premier League club when the club was formed, won back immediate promotion to the Premier League.
One of the notable ploy adopted by the manager was the use of only 25 outfield players during the entire Championship season which showcased the fact that he prefers to work with a compact and concise core group. But the immediate jubilation of having gained promotion was gradually replaced by a growing frustration amongst the supporters due to their inactivity in the transfer market. Burnley finally made a move by signing Johann Berg Gudmundsson to bolster their attacking department.
