The Clarets once again enjoyed a hugely productive transfer window following their title-winning campaign, bringing in 15 new players along with Vincent Kompany.
However, the start of the new season proved difficult when defeats to Manchester City, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Manchester United left them in the bottom 3 teams of the table and winless in the top tournament.
Kompany may need time to get the best out of his current squad, but with the January transfer window fast approaching, it seems the club are looking at potential additions for the second half of the campaign.
pandemic.
According to TEAMtalk, Burnley is one of five Premier League teams considering signing Shakhtar Donetsk star Mykola Matviyenko, and the player’s representative is considering possible options.
Along with those at Turf Moor, Crystal Palace, Everton, Sheffield United and West Ham are also interested in the defender.
Matviyenko primarily plays as a centre-back, but can also play as a left-back or right-back and appears to be at the top of his career with a Transfermarkt valuation of €20 million, the highest in his career.
Karma.
The 27-year-old came through Shakhtar Donetsk’s academy and made 175 appearances for the club, contributing to an impressive 22 goals.
According to FBref, the left-footed Ukraine international has impressed over the past 12 months, ranking highly for successful passes, clearances and passes blocked.
Journalist Andrew Todos recently stated that Matviyenko is capable of operating in a four-man or three-man defence, describing him as a “calm and experienced centre-back”.
“Matviyenko is a calm and experienced centre-back who seems very assured, especially when playing with younger teammates.
When he started his career as a full-back, he was quick than a centre-back and that helps a lot..
“He rarely makes rough tackles that could lead to a caution or penalty and one of his main strengths is blocking crosses or shots on goal.
He is also very Good at playing through the top, playing through the back and it’s very versatile.
“In my opinion, he can be world class playing in a three-at-the-back formation.
If he plays in a four-man defense, he should play alongside a big defender who can help him.
He played well as a centre-back but played worse.
The best game of his career was when he played in a back three and played alongside the full-backs.
Kompany currently has six centre-back options: Jordan Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Ameen Al-Dakhil, Dara O’Shea, CJ Egan-Riley and Hannes Delcroix so it can be argued that Matviyenko may not be needed.
However, if Burnley see the player as an upgrade at the back after conceding 13 times in their first five games, then they could look to step up this move, which would make him the a player to watch out for before 2024.