Burnley figure reveals key reason behind player’s failure to secure exit following Swansea and other Championship interest | OneFootball

Burnley never had any intention of selling experienced forward Ashley Barnes during the January transfer window, according to manager Vincent Kompany who made this admission to Lancs Live.

The Clarets have a very decent number of forward options at their disposal now following a productive winter window, with Lyle Foster and Michael Obafemi both arriving at Turf Moor.

This was an area that clearly needed to be strengthened with long-term successors needed for the likes of Barnes and Jay Rodriguez and Halil Dervisoglu failing to make a major impact during his time in Lancashire so far.

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With Foster and Obafemi joining though and Dervisoglu staying put despite previous uncertainty over his future, this could have opened up an opportunity for Barnes to secure an exit with Swansea City reportedly taking an interest in him.

This is a potential chance the 33-year-old may have taken considering he hasn’t exactly been one of the first names on the teamsheet under Manchester City and Belgium legend Kompany since the latter’s arrival in the summer.

With Foster and Obafemi potentially ahead of him in the pecking order now, Barnes’ game time looks set to be very limited between now and the end of this term but Kompany has revealed he wasn’t open to cashing in on him.

He said: “No (he didn’t come close to leaving Turf Moor. We didn’t even entertain discussions in January.

“It was the assumption of a lot of people but we never entertained discussions. The main thing for me is he has been terrific for us, has done extremely well and the only thing we have to look at is making sure it (contract discussions) fits, there is no point doing anything rushed because at the end of the day it has to be right for everyone.

“Ash has been doing extremely well, we want to make sure whatever he is doing for us he keeps doing it and then we will have a conversation with him no doubt.”

The Verdict:

This could have been a decent deal for the Swans considering the departure of Obafemi – and you feel they may have been able to lure Barnes away from Turf Moor if they refused to Obafemi unless the 33-year-old came the other way.

He’s not exactly a player they would have been able to sell on for a huge amount in the future – but they already have assets like Joel Piroe that they can cash in on if they wish to generate a decent amount of revenue.

It may also be a bit of a shame for the player that a move didn’t work out in the end – because he may have been able to guarantee himself regular starts at the Swansea.com Stadium, something he can’t do at Turf Moor.

However, Barnes has played a small part in the Clarets’ promotion push and may feel as though he has a duty to stay loyal to the Lancashire side for the remainder of the season before closing what has been a long chapter at Turf Moor.

There’s every chance he will get a Championship promotion medal at the end of this term, so he may not be too heartbroken that a move away didn’t materialise in the summer.

Kompany’s side, meanwhile, have retained an experienced head in the dressing room which will only be a good thing for them as they close in on a Premier League return.