Why Vincent Kompagny’s Burnley success is worse news for English football

When former Manchester City defender and multiple Premier League winner Vincent Company clashed at Burnley this summer, there was a shock.

Of all the places this generation of defenders were expected to pick next in their coaching journey, a stint at the recently relegated Lancaster club was not on the list.

Those questioning Kompany’s decision to move to Burnley warned that relegation from the Premier League wasn’t the only threat to his chances of success.

“Compagny poses a big challenge for a struggling Lancashire club,” James Ducker wrote to the Daily Telegraph.

“Important part [$80 million] The loan taken by Burnley owners ALK Capital to purchase the club is expected to be repaid this summer and the first year’s parachute payment is about [$52 million] They will receive the next relegation.

“Burnley were the oldest starters in the Premier League last season and already have six senior players, including a pair of centre-halves who were the first choice of James Tarkowski and captain Ben Mee. I’ve seen him leave as a free agent.

“Turkowski joins Everton, leaving Aaron Lennon, Eric Peters, Phil Bardsley and Dale Stevens, and Burnley could be forced to sign Maxwell Cornette. [$21.6 million] release clause in his contract, as well as fellow winger Dwight McNeill.

Sentiment was so widespread that Burnley would be a struggling club next season, suggesting that Kompagny’s desire to return to the north-west to be closer to his wife’s family dictated the decision.

Professional or not, family should never be overlooked as a factor of choice, but those who heard what the Belgian said at the time probably understood better why he chose the claret. .

“When I presented the offers, some were probably more appealing in terms of name and in terms of what they represented to more people, but I had the opportunity to see all of Burnley in depth. I did,” he explained.

“I’m not saying it’s easy, looking at what Burnley wants to achieve, but we’ve seen a different path than anywhere else.

“It’s about where the club wants to go and where the team wants to go. I only see the potential at Burnley and that’s exciting for me.”

Such clichés might seem commonplace for a recently appointed manager, but what happened next proved that there was substance to his words.

it’s not that kind of gambling

Around 15 players arrived to replace those leaving Claret, and after a slightly shaky start the team settled at the top of the division, well ahead of their rivals.

It turns out that the risk Kompany was supposed to have taken this summer wasn’t really a gamble.

Given the $80 million outflow of talent that occurred at Turf Moor over the summer, not surprisingly, less attention was paid to the $40 million cost of a replacement.

But this number should not be ignored. That’s nearly double what he did for the second-highest spending club, and significantly more than all but a handful of clubs in the league.

As The Telegraph’s Ducker points out, Burnley have other financial obligations to pay, but the cushion of the parachute payment that the top division pays relegated clubs to soften the blow of relegation is something the club will spend. It means you can afford it. A significant portion of the money received in remittances.

Looking at the Clarets’ play, it’s clear that many of the players are at Premier League level, although they weren’t acquired for the eye-popping sums of money that Nick Pope and Dwight McNeill were when they moved on.

Combined with Vincent-Compagny’s forward tactics, this created a strong force for promotion in the second tier of England.

So why is that a bad thing?

Well, it has nothing to do with Vincent Company or Burnley Football Club.

The reason it’s bad is that the club’s success is further evidence of the polarization that’s happening in the lower tier of the Premier League and the upper half of the championship.

As we have written before, the financial disparity between the top divisions of English football and the rest has created a situation where clubs relegated from the top tier rarely spend more than two years outside. .

Fulham, Bournemouth, Norwich City and Watford are all clubs bolstered by their ability to outperform their rivals as they bounce between the two divisions and see their revenues boosted significantly by parachute payments.

Another example of the advantage this income gives relegated teams is second-placed Sheffield United. Sheffield United narrowly missed promotion in the previous campaign, with him seven points clear of his closest rivals in the second automatic promotion slot. .

The longer this trend continues, the more likely it is that the same 6-8 teams will be promoted or relegated from the Premier League within a year or two.

Occasionally, teams outside of this cohort may drop, but it’s possible they’ll bounce back. The advantage is too big.

Perhaps concerns about Burnley were exaggerated, or maybe Vincent Kompany was a key factor in overseeing the miraculous reboot.

But a third explanation that most people don’t want to consider is that the wealth of the Premier League is so extreme that clubs have sold all their star players, dismantled their first team squads and taken out large loans. It means you have enough money to repay and still build. Best side of the lower division.

For British football fans around the world, this is not a happy idea.