JJ Watt sends clear message to Burnley fans amid Premier League relegation worry
Burnley co-owner and former NFL player JJ Watt has assured the fans that they're "going to be all right" despite currently sitting 19th in the Premier League table.
It's been a tough return to Premier League life for Burnley since they won the Championship last season under Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany. Out of all the promoted teams, many predicted that Burnley would do the best this season due to their expansive style of football, but they've won just three of the 23 games played this campaign.
Only Sheffield United are below Burnley in the league, and the Clarets are seven points adrift of safety with just 15 games to go. JJ Watt, who invested in the club back in May 2023, is certain that Burnley will be fine even if they drop back down to the second tier.
READ MORE: Blackburn's Duncan McGuire deal back on after pulling plug while MLS star was on flight
READ MORE: Lionel Messi handed Inter Miami boost after making promise to fans in debut season
Watt is an NFL legend who has always had a passion for football. He admitted he was keen to follow the efforts of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, who have transformed Wrexham. However, it's been a disastrous first full season as part-owner.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
The former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals star will travel back to England next month and plans to be there for the remainder of the Premier League season. For now he's in Las Vegas after joining the CBS Sports broadcast team to cover the Super Bowl, but he used a large portion of his media availability to talk about Burnley.
"We'd love to be in a better position than we are in the table at the moment," Watt said to reporters. "But the passion, the energy, the fans, it has been an incredible experience and I'm as energetic right now when we are at the bottom of the table as I am when we're successful and doing great.
"I'm going to be over there in a month for a little while, I'm looking forward to it, but I love Burnley, I love the people, we are going to be all right." On average, teams need to win 11 Premier League games to avoid relegation, meaning that Burnley would need to win eight of their remaining 15 games to stand a chance.
Burnley were unstoppable in the Championship last season, hitting 101 points and surprising fans with a new style of football under Kompany. It was unsurprisingly Watt's fondest memory since becoming owner, as he said: "My favourite memory so far is winning the Championship last year, the parade, the trophy, all that came with it.
"I was the kid that did nothing on the group project and somehow got an A for it." Watt's long-term plan was to make Burnley a popular team in America, just like Reynolds and McElhenney have done with Wrexham. Watt has been honest in saying he has a lot to learn, and his plan could be dealt an early blow unless Burnley can quickly turn things around.
"America is craving football content," Watt said last year. "There's a large group of people that still don't have a great knowledge base, so they're still trying to find their squad. They're still trying to find who they're supposed to support. I think it helps us a lot that more eyeballs come over. We just direct those eyeballs up to Burnley."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
