Burnley had a relatively quiet transfer window, adding five new players to their squad for the second half of the season.
Scott Parker reduced Turf Moor’s team by eight players in January. Jay Rodriguez and John Egan left permanently, while six others signed loan deals.
In terms of bringing players in, the promotion hopefuls strengthened their hand on either flank, with Jaydon Banel and Marcus Edwards expected to cause some damage in wide areas, while experienced campaigners Jonjo Shelvey and Ashley Barnes were also signed, with the latter returning to the club where he spent nine years before leaving in the summer of 2023.
The Clarets have struggled with a dearth of goals this season, and Football League World’s Burnley fan pundit Will Lancaster believes that failing to solve this issue with a prolific marksman could come back to haunt them as the season develops.
Burnley fail to add another striker in January transfer window
Despite being in contention for automatic promotion, Burnley has struggled to score goals, with ten 0-0 draws in 31 league games.
With only 37 league goals throughout that span, with Josh Brownhill topping the scoring charts with nine (although with two penalties included in that total), a prolific youngsterDespite being in the running for automatic promotion, Burnley has failed to score, with ten 0-0 draws in 31 league games.
With only 37 league goals scored during that period, and Josh Brownhill leading the scoring charts with nine – admittedly including two penalties – a productive number nine could have made all the difference as the race for a place in the Premier League heated up.
As James Trafford remains an unstoppable force at the other end, the Clarets could have been out of sight at the top of the division if they had been able to find the back of the net more frequently, and Lancaster believes the club squandered an opportunity by failing to add more options in recent weeks.
When asked if Burnley had any regrets regarding the transfer window, he replied: “I wish the club had bought a striker really; Zian Flemming is probably the out and out striker if you look at the numbers.”
“He’s been in fantastic form since Christmas, but he needs some competition or backup.
“We clearly have Ashley Barnes coming in the winter, but with Jay Rodriguez leaving, it was almost a trade.Number nine may have made all the difference as the competition for a spot in the Premier League heats up.
As James Trafford continues to be an unstoppable force at the other end, the Clarets could have been out of sight at the top of the division if they had been able to find the back of the net more frequently, and Lancaster believes the club missed a trick by failing to add more options in recent weeks.
When asked if Burnley had any regrets about the transfer window, he said: “I wish the club had bought a striker really; Zian Flemming is probably the out and out striker if you look at the numbers.”
“He has had a good run of form since the Christmas time, but he needs some competition or backup.
“We obviously have Ashley Barnes joining in the winter, but with Jay Rodriguez departing, it was essentially a trade.
| Burnley 24/25 Championship stats as of 5/2/25 (FBRef) | |
|---|---|
| Matches | 31 |
| Wins | 16 |
| Draws | 13 |
| Defeats | 2 |
| Goals scored | 37 |
| Goals conceded | 9 |
“Lyle Foster now plays on the left side, so there aren’t many true options to bring off the bench, and I just think that certainty in the final third would have greatly boosted the club’s performance at this point in the season.
“We could have mounted a proper promotion push against the likes of Sheffield United, Leeds and Sunderland, so that is one area I wish we had strengthened a little bit more.”
Burnley’s lack of goals could cost them automatic promotion
With the top four in the Championship separated by only five points as we enter the last third of the season, it appears that who will book their ticket to the top flight after all is said and done in May will be decided at the last minute.
Burnley has lost less games than any other team, but only West Bromwich Albion (14) has more draws in the Championship this season. Burnley’s struggles in front of goal have resulted in missed opportunities to earn valuable points.
On Tuesday night, it needed an own goal from Michal Helik to defeat a staunch Oxford United team, while the stalemate against Portsmouth at the weekend was the 12th time they had drawn a blank all season, equating to a remarkable 38.7% of all their outings.
With 13 of their 37 goals coming in three games this season (4-1 vs Luton, 5-0 vs Cardiff and Plymouth Argyle), Sunderland, Leeds United, and Sheffield United are showing no signs of slowing down in the race for the automatic spots. This lack of attack could be the difference between finishing in the top two and the play-off spots in the coming months.
Banel and Edwards could provide the extra inventiveness in wide areas to supply the likes of Flemming in the centre from now on, but we’ll have to wait and see, with Burnley’s problems set to persist for the rest of the season.
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