Burnley have submitted a transfer offer for Brighton midfielder Dale Stephens, who Sean Dyche has previously tried to sign.
The Athletic’s Andy Naylor reported that the Clarets have made a renewed bid for the 31-year-old, having tried doggedly to sign him back in 2016, only for the Seagulls to reject no fewer than six bids from the Turf Moor outfit even though the player had submitted a transfer request.
As noted by Naylor for The Athletic, Brighton could be more open to dispensing with Stephens now than four years ago, considering that he is in the final year of his contract and they have an abundance of midfield options.
The Bolton native has been a first team regular for the Seagulls since their promotion to the Premier League in 2017 but has not featured in either of their first two league games this term, playing only in last week’s Carabao Cup win over Portsmouth (as per TransferMarkt). Considering that Graham Potter changed his entire starting line-up for that game, it is perhaps a sign that Stephens is now considered a backup player rather than a central figure at the Amex Stadium.
In stark contrast to Potter’s rich pick of midfield options, Dyche is down to the bare bones in that regard. Jack Cork’s injury absence leaves Ashley Westwood and Josh Brownhill as his only senior central midfielders, with youngster Mace Goodridge not yet entrusted with a first team appearance.
Stephens has distinguished himself as a steely midfield presence at Brighton, winning 2.2 tackles and making 1.8 interceptions per game last season. None of Burnley’s midfielders had a better tackling average, while no-one at all in Dyche’s squad made more interceptions per game (as per WhoScored).
The Seagulls player isn’t just a one-trick ball winner, either. When he gets it, he often uses it efficiently, picking out a team-mate with 85.7% of his passes in 2019/20 and averaging 50.8 passes per game. At Burnley, Westwood had the highest number of passes per game with 49.7, while only Brownhill at 82.5% had a passing success rate above 80%.
Stephens may be approaching the autumn of his career at 31 but his statistics suggest that he could certainly provide a timely boost to Burnley’s threadbare midfield.
With him seemingly falling down the pecking order at the Amex, where he has played since 2014, he could be open to a change of scenery, and he seems like a player with whom Dyche could certainly do at Turf Moor.
Although the amount of the Clarets’ offer for Stephens hasn’t been disclosed, if it is a reasonable figure, then it is worth paying to bring in an experienced player (400 career appearances) who can add steel and passing ability in the middle of the park.
Burnley fans, do you think Stephens is a player that the Clarets need? Comment below with your views!