Vincent Kompany insists Burnley won't do a 'Nottingham Forest' this summer
Vincent Kompany believes Burnley are returning to a Premier League significantly changed since his last season as a Manchester City title winner four years ago.
But the Turf Moor boss says the Clarets, relegated last season, have been preparing to climb back into the big time since before Christmas. And he’s confident he knows what’s needed for Burnley to succeed after storming to promotion with 101 points, losing just three of their 46 games.
Kompany said: “I left the Premier League four years ago. And it has definitely become more athletic in the bottom half of the table. The top half has always been a very high standard, players and coaching. But now the bottom half has better standards of coaching, tactical understanding and more athleticism than ever.
“Now, centre backs can’t afford to be the slowest guys in the team and run the least. You run now, you’ve got to shift, get in position. That’s the evolution of the league.
“Teams are better resourced so even if you are in the bottom part of the Premier League you can go and buy a player from a top six Bundesliga team, the second-biggest league in Europe. The levels have definitely gone up again since I played.”
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Despite that, Kompany is certain the groundwork Burnley have undertaken alongside securing promotion will reap reward.
“We feel we have been preparing for the last six months” he says. “That might seem a little presumptuous, but we have been preparing in different dimensions in that time - one Championship scenario, one Premier League. We are going into this very prepared.”
Burnley boss Kompany is expecting their transfer window to go under the radar this summer (PA)It means there’ll be no Nottingham Forest style mega-churn of players or late transfer window panic.
“No, no - that’s not part of the plan, it’s not for us. We also have a duty to make sure that the club doesn’t crash. Going back to the Premier League can’t be at any cost” says the Belgian.
“We want to be smart and find a way to have a good season. But I don’t think there is any money in the world, with the level of this league, that guarantees you anything.
“When you don’t have guarantees the worse-case scenario is that a team gets relegated. But there are ways to crash and not spiral completely into a mess. For us, we want to make sure Burnley remains a healthy club.
“I can’t speak for Forest, I’m sure they had their own reasons. But we intend to be calm. Yes, we will add new players but I can’t imagine us making all the headlines on Sky Sports on Deadline Day.
“Our key message is we have a group of players we still think can improve and rise to Premier League level.”
Kompany’s already been talking to potential new recruits - and he’s selling a bigger dream than simply survival.
“When we’ve spoken to some players trying to convince them to come to Burnley they’ve expressed concern for ‘what if we get relegated?’
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“I say: ‘look at the league table and what has happened this year - you would happily have signed for some of the clubs fighting relegation’. I tell them this is a stable club where we can grow and hopefully play in Europe.“
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