"Like Taylor Harwood-Bellis" - Burnley FC concerns raised over player's Premier League quality | OneFootball

FLW's Burnley fan pundit has given his view on whether defender CJ Egan-Riley would be good enough for the Premier League.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

It has been an outstanding season for Burnley in the Championship so far and much of their success has been down to their incredible defensive record.

Burnley extended their unbeaten run to 20 league games with a goalless draw against rivals Preston North End as they push for promotion to the top flight.

The Clarets kept their 11th consecutive league clean sheet against North End, extending their own Championship record, and remarkably, they have still only conceded nine league goals all season.

One player who has unexpectedly been a key part of Burnley's defensive solidity is CJ Egan-Riley, and the 22-year-old has thrived this season after being given a surprise chance by Parker.

Egan-Riley joined the Clarets from Manchester City in the summer of 2022, but he barely featured under former manager Vincent Kompany, and he spent time out on loan with Hibernian and PSV's youth team in the past two years.

However, Egan-Riley has made 30 appearances for Burnley this season, and with his contract at Turf Moor set to expire in the summer, Parker has confirmed that he is keen to tie the defender down to a new deal, praising him for his "first class" performances.

Reservations over whether CJ Egan-Riley has Premier League quality

When asked if he believes Egan-Riley would be able to make the step up to the Premier League if the club were to achieve promotion, FLW's Burnley fan pundit Will Lancaster admitted he has reservations about whether the defender is good enough for the top flight.

"It's a weird one with Egan-Riley because you wouldn't have even put him as Championship quality at the start of the season," Will said.

"I think he only made three appearances under Vincent Kompany in that amazing Championship season, and then he was loaned out to PSV's youth side last season.

"He's not a player that you would have thought would have come into the team and started or anything really, especially with Joe Worrall and John Egan signing in the summer, and with Hjalmar Ekdal coming back.

"It was a bit of a shock, but he's taken it to the extreme with 11 clean sheets in a row now in the league, which is phenomenal.

"I would be wary of him in the Premier League.

"His passing range is brilliant, he's got that academy experience with Man City, you rarely find a bad player coming out of their academy.

"As someone who's been part of the meanest defence in the Championship, you can't really deny him that chance.

"His footballing brain is superb, but I just think that in the Premier League, with his size and physicality, if he's coming up against quick and pacy strikers such as Haaland, Isak and Sesko if he signs for Arsenal, he's just going to struggle a little bit to keep up with the pace of the game.

"In a back three, I think he'd be brilliant playing in a Conor Coady role like he did for Wolves.

"He wasn't the quickest or tallest, but he just had a brilliant mind.

"However, as we've seen this season, Parker has persisted with the 4-5-1, and whether Egan-Riley would get found out in that, I'm not too sure.

"You look at players like Taylor Harwood-Bellis, who was excellent for Burnley in the Championship at centre-back, and then he's gone to Southampton and they're only on nine points.

"You can't really call it, but I hope he gets the chance and proves me wrong."

CJ Egan-Riley deserves Premier League opportunity with Burnley

As Burnley found out last season, the step up from the Championship to the Premier League is a big one, and there is no guarantee that Egan-Riley would be able to adapt to the top flight.

However, few would have expected the defender to play a part in the Championship this season, and he has proven the doubters wrong with some outstanding performances, so he should not be written off if the Clarets win promotion.

Egan-Riley is still only 22 and has plenty of room for further development, so there is every chance he could become a capable Premier League defender in the years to come, and Burnley must ensure they reach an agreement with the former England youth international over a new contract as soon as possible.