Burnley losing out on £15m deal to Southampton in 2019 may have been a blessing - View | OneFootball

It stung at the time but may have been a blessing in disguise in hindsight

Burnley were right to feel like they'd missed out on Che Adams when he went to Southampton in 2019, but it may have been a blessing in disguise in hindsight.

Adams had caught attention in Burnley through his exploits at Birmingham City, becoming a solid target for the club in the January prior to his Saints move.

The south-coast club rightly felt like winners in the saga, and Adams wasn't a complete flop, but it'd be difficult to claim he reached the heights they, and Burnley, thought he would.

What may have seemed like misfortune in 2019 looks a lot more like luck for Burnley in hindsight.

Burnley's interest in Adams was understandable

It was obvious why Adams had piqued so much interest in Burnley quarters.

At 22 years old, he was coming off the back of a 22-goal Championship season — also picking up five assists along the way — leading many to assume he was ready to take the next step up.

Burnley had seen enough midway through the 2018/19 season, tabling rejected bids for the striker in January.

But with Southampton lurking, they were not the only club tracking his progress.

He opted for Southampton instead

Staying with Birmingham, who were still in the Championship at that time, no longer seemed an option; Adams needed to test himself at a higher level.

Despite Burnley showing strong interest already, it was Southampton who captured his eye, eventually sealing a £15million move to the Premier League side.

The Saints knew how tough the battle was that they'd won, noting in Adams' official announcement that they had had to fight off other Premier League sides for his signature.

Adams claimed that the Southampton manager at the time, Ralph Hasenhuttl, was a big factor in his decision to move to the Saints, and the Austrian coach was just as glowing about the striker.

Speaking in the official announcement, Hasenhuttl said: “We have been monitoring his progress for some time now. He has shown a desire to join us above all other clubs, which shows the positive reputation Southampton has built for developing young players."

It may have proven money well saved in hindsight

Burnley may have justifiably felt wounded by the saga, but looking back over Adams' stint in Southampton, it now seems the Clarets managed to save £15million; a significant sum.

For starters, in the season following Adams' move, Burnley finished in a remarkable tenth place, one above Southampton who beat them to the signing, proving that the striker wasn't vital to their success.

Moreover, Adams scored just four goals in that season, and would never breach double digits in terms of scoring for Southampton in the Premier League over the following four seasons.

He did smash through that barrier in 2023/24, netting 15 times, but by that point the Saints were in the Championship, having suffered relegation the season before.

In short, while Adams had been a useful servant to Southampton, he never quite hit the heights that his £15million price tag suggested he may do.

Adams never found the prolific streak he hit in Birmingham once he had moved to the top flight, so Burnley may well breathe a sigh of relief when looking back that they didn't take that expensive gamble.