Sean Dyche not prepared to spend big on players despite Burnley’s rise

Burnley might be knocking on the door of the Premier League’s top six but manager Sean Dyche will still be shopping for bargains in the summer.

The Clarets were among the relegation favourites at the start of the season but are preparing for the possibility of Europa League football rather than a return to the Championship next term.

Dyche is rated by many as the manager of the season for the way he has led his side on what is a shoestring budget compared to some of their peers.

The likes of James Tarkowski and Nick Pope, recruited from Charlton and Brentford respectively, have grown from little known squad men to international standard in the current campaign.

Even in the current inflated market, Burnley have only ever spent £10million or more on four players and Dyche admits he is not yet in a position to bring ready made stars to Turf Moor.

“It’s hard for us to buy ‘the one’ who can walk straight into our team,” he said ahead of Sunday’s clash with Stoke.

“We have to look at a high level of development player – not necessarily someone for £100,000 to turn into a world beater – but the kind of market for us is a few million quid.

“We can’t jump to £25million for people, five times over, we’ve got to look not just for the next six months but the six months after that, 18 months, 24 months, and that is tough.

“But you have to keep looking and future proofing, getting the players in we think we can mould for the future.

“Some of the ones we bought in the past, people said ‘why are they bringing them in?’ and they’re the ones who are now coming of age.”

Burnley have operated with just three senior central defenders all season, Tarkowski and Ben Mee as first choice backed up by Kevin Long.

With Mee injured and Tarkowski battling a knock from Thursday’s defeat by Chelsea, the trip to Stoke could see them stretched too thin for the first time this season.

“We’ve been carrying three main centre-backs all year and done well with it but we’re not in a position to just buy a player for the sake of filling a hole,” said Dyche.

“We’ve never been in that position and we’re still not. That player might be £10million.”