Burnley have reportedly agreed new terms with their star forward, Ashley Barnes which will run till the summer of 2021. The 28-year old’s goal tally of 7 might not be at par with some of the top strikers in the league but his performances on the pitch has been remarkable this campaign.
Chris Wood’s spell on the sidelines has forced Dyche to play Barnes in the number 9 role and the Austria U20 international has delivered, time and time again.
Burnley themselves have been one of the surprise stories this season poised to make a 7th place finish – their best finish in top-flight football and a top-half finish after 43 years. Challenging Arsenal for the Europa League spot has not been ruled out just yet with the Gunners losing 4 of their last 5 fixtures across all competitions.
The Clarets are the ‘best of the rest’ with Leicester City still 3 points behind and Everton struggling to put up a run of wins. While the fans at the Turf Moor would be overjoyed to snatch up the 6th place from Arsene Wenger’s side, bridging a 5-point gap within 8 games will be a challenging task.
Dyche’s defensive system will be tested in the final stretch of the season when every club in the bottom half of the table are scrambling for points, desperate for top-division survival. They are coming off an impressive 0-3 away win against West Ham United last weekend.
Burnley silenced the crowd at the London Stadium with an incredible display in front of goal. Chris Wood grabbed a brace and Barnes broke the deadlock with a brilliant strike towards the top corner well away from Joe Hart.
The duo worked well in unison to break open the Hammers defence and take away the 3 points to reassure their fans of the success story they are currently writing up. The club needs to build on this season and strengthen the squad for the 2018/19 campaign.
Tying down the services of influential players like Barnes is the right way to go about things. The England-born forward is enjoying his football at the moment but has not ruled out a return to Plymouth Argyle.
He was quoted, “I hope one day that I could maybe finish my career there. I would 110 percent love to play for Argyle again one day. I met my wife in Plymouth, she is a Plymouth girl and all my friends and family are down there as well. I always look out for their results and they are very close to my heart. It is great to see Argyle doing so well again.”