Craig Bellamy cites Watford and Norwich City as he rejects Burnley spending claims | OneFootball

Burnley coach Craig Bellamy has refuted claims that the Clarets 'have bought' the Sky Bet Championship this season.

The Clarets have been in brilliant form this year and are closing in on an imminent return to the Premier League, with them playing some great football along the way.

Indeed, Bellamy, and of course manager Vincent Kompany, deserve immense credit for the work they have done this season, with them totally changing the way Burnley play and also revamping the squad, having seen a number of top players leave the club on the back of relegation last year.

They've made some really smart signings with Kompany utilising his contact book and his knowledge of European football really well, and it looks as though it's all going to pay off in the near future with Premier League football awaiting.

That shrewd operating in the market is something that Bellamy spoke about in a recent interview with the Daily Mail, too, with him saying any notion of the Clarets 'buying the league' is wide of the mark and that other sides in the second tier have had much more financial clout available to them for this season.

"People say we have bought the league. Really? We have spent £22million on 15 players," said Bellamy.

"So those people are insane. Look at Watford's squad. One player is worth more than our whole squad. They didn't sell anyone and still bought. Norwich? Do you see them selling? When we started pre-season, we hardly had anyone. The players we have here now amaze me every day."

The Verdict

Bellamy makes a fair point about the work Burnley have done in the last couple of markets, especially when you consider what the squad was looking like last summer as some of the club's very best players moved on and to Premier League sides.

They've obviously got more finances than some in the Championship but it's probably not fair to say they've absolutely blown everyone else out of the water financially, and really the work they have done as a group is the main reason they are on the brink of promotion now.