“It would make a lot of sense” – Burnley facing potential Darko Churlinov call as transfer window looms: The verdict | OneFootball

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Burnley are marching towards to the Premier League in style, whilst they also have an FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City to look forward to.

It’s been a brilliant season under Vincent Kompany and the boss, along with the recruitment team, deserve so much credit for the players they brought in who have all done very well.

Perhaps one exception is Darko Churlinov, who has only made six appearances this season.

That’s not to say the attacker is a bad player, as he clearly has quality, but there are others ahead of him in the pecking order and they have been playing well.

So, with that in mind, should the 22-year-old be loaned out this summer if, or when, the Clarets are promoted? Here our writers share their thoughts…

Toby Wilding

This does feel like a move that could be well worth considering for Burnley.

Churlinov has struggled for opportunities since making the move to Turf Moor in the summer, starting only once in the Championship, meaning he is yet to make the impact that will have been hoped for from him.

As a result, the fact he has failed to establish himself at this level, means you imagine it would be hard for the winger to do so with the Clarets, if they do indeed win promotion back to the Premier League this season, taking the challenge up another step in the process.

With that in mind, it would therefore seem to make sense to allow him to head out on loan elsewhere, doing right by the player in giving him the opportunity to get the game time he surely wants after a frustrating individual campaign.

Indeed, Burnley themselves may need to strengthen if they are to be competitive in the top-flight, and loaning Churlinov out gives them more scope to do that, meaning this could be a move that works well for all concerned.

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Ben Wignall

Considering his lack of game-time this season, it would make a lot of sense if Churlinov were to be loaned out for a season.

Burnley will be looking to improve in most positions going into the Premier League, and with Churlinov only making 12 appearances so far – just two of them starts – he would seem like one of the obvious players to go and get game-time elsewhere.

He’s not going to get ahead of Anass Zaroury on the left wing and Kompany will perhaps target some experience to compete with the Morocco international, so it would make a lot of sense if a move to a top division in Europe – perhaps the Netherlands or Portugal – occurred for Churlinov.

It’s too early to fully write him off just yet at the age of 22, but he’s not made much of an impact and he surely will not be playing a part in the top flight of English football in 2023-24.

Chris Gallagher

Yes, he needs game time and that’s not happening at Burnley.

The reality is that Kompany has better options at his disposal at the moment and you would expect new attackers to arrive in the summer, meaning Churlinov isn’t going to play.

So, instead of sticking around and playing in the 23s, he would benefit more from going elsewhere and getting a full season of football under his belt.

At 22, it’s far too soon to say Churlinov won’t be able to make it at Burnley but the reality is that he is going to have to show patience. A loan move could be exactly what he needs to kickstart his career at Turf Moor starting in the 2024/25 campaign.