If Burnley fans made a list of all the good things Brian Laws did for the club, it wouldn’t be lengthy, and signing Leon Cort would be nowhere near the top.
After Owen Coyle left midway through Burnley’s debut Premier League campaign in 2009/10, his hiring was disastrous, leading to the club’s immediate return to the Championship, where they remained for four seasons.
While it would be unjust to blame Laws alone for relegation, things took a sharp turn after his arrival, and the Clarets never looked like beating the drop.
Burnley’s troubles can be attributed to Laws’ recruitment, which resulted in a missed opportunity to add quality to their team in January.
He may have added bodies to the team with six new signings, but only Jack Cork and Danny Fox made a significant impact on the starting XI, with Leon Cort’s acquisition being one of the worst in club history.
Leon Cort’s signing made the Burnley back line weaker
Burnley had a strong chance of staying up in January, but acquiring Cort made them weaker.
Cort moved from Stoke to the Clarets for a fee of up to £2 million. This was a significant sum for the Lancashire club, which did not have their own stadium at the time.
Burnley’s end-of-season downfall was largely attributed to the former Potter’s bad performance on his debut against Chelsea in January.
Cort made 15 appearances under Laws in the second half of the season, but Burnley lost 12 of those games, highlighting his negative impact on the defence.
That defence did not keep a single clean sheet in Cort’s 15 games, which, while not entirely his fault, shows that he had a negative impact on a backline that had previously kept Manchester United and Everton at bay in the first half of the season.
Burnley couldn’t get rid of Leon Cort quick enough after relegation
Cort was a crucial feature of the Stoke City side that were promoted in 2007/08, which was part of the attraction to Laws signing him. If they fell down, he could help them recover.
| Leon Cort 2007/08 Stoke City stats (Transfermarkt) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | Goals | Assists |
| 33 | 8 | 2 |
Cort was only able to make four league appearances for the team after relegation, which was far from ideal.
He was loaned out to Championship rivals Preston, and his failure to make the mark there was a stinging indictment of the signing’s performance at Premier League level the previous season.
Cort joined Charlton on a free transfer after his contract with Burnley was dissolved two years prior, following a relatively successful loan spell.
Burnley suffered financial losses of up to £2 million due to the sale, and the club’s relegation had long-term financial consequences.
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