Burnley have sealed their spot back in the Premier League next season thanks to Friday’s 2-1 win over Middlesbrough.
The Clarets have been sensational this season under Vincent Kompany and are favourites to go on and secure the Championship title, but victory at the Riverside on Friday now means they can no longer finish outside the automatic promotion spots.
With seven games to go in the season, Burnley are now 11 points clear of Sheffield United in second place and a whopping 19 ahead of the playoff race and third-placed Luton Town, who opened the door for Kompany’s side after failing to beat Millwall earlier in the day.
It marks an immediate return to the Premier League for Burnley, who were relegated last season after finishing 18th.
Iconic manager Sean Dyche was sacked towards the end of the season, with caretaker manager Mike Jackson failing to lead Burnley away from the drop zone.
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Former Manchester City defender Kompany was brought in to oversee a significant change at Turf Moor during the summer and the boss has not disappointed, creating one of the most exciting teams in English football.
Top scorer Nathan Tella, on loan from Southampton, has excelled alongside other loanees like Ian Maatsen and Taylor Harwood-Bellis of Chelsea and Manchester City respectively, leaving Burnley facing a dilemma when it comes to retaining their top performers next summer.
Premier League teams are restricted to just two loans from other clubs in the division and may only have one player on loan from any one team, meaning one of the aforementioned trio would have to be signed permanently if Kompany is to keep his core together.
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