Viktor Gyokeres development must frustrate many at Burnley FC | OneFootball

Gyokeres could have been at Turf Moor, but the Clarets missed out on the chance to recruit the forward.

Alan Pace wasn't afraid to back Vincent Kompany in the summer of 2023, following Burnley's promotion back to the Premier League.

Several big-money additions were made at Turf Moor during that window, with the Clarets being given the license to spend after returning to the top flight.

Viktor Gyokeres was believed to be on their radar, and that was no surprise, with the Swedish forward performing very well at Coventry City at the time, scoring consistently since his permanent move there during the summer of 2021.

And with the Sky Blues missing out on promotion after losing the Championship play-off final, this arguably boosted the Lancashire side's chances of getting a deal over the line for the striker.

A deal for Gyokeres would have made sense, considering Michael Obafemi was unlikely to be a starting option, Lyle Foster may have needed more time to adapt to England at that point and a younger alternative to Jay Rodriguez was probably needed.

Unfortunately for the Clarets, they missed out on the forward in the end, with the player making the move to Sporting Lisbon in a deal believed to be in the region of £20m.

Viktor Gyokeres could have been a real asset on the pitch for Burnley

With the weight of expectation on him following his big-money move to Portugal, he could have flopped at Sporting.

But he has been a real asset and taken his game to a new level, with his goalscoring record proving to be particularly impressive.

Scoring at a rate of nearly a goal per game, Gyokeres is establishing himself as one of the best strikers in world football.

It could be argued that his goalscoring stats would be less impressive if he was in one of the main European top divisions, but the fact he's continued to score regularly for such a long period is a huge credit to him.

The Clarets could have benefitted from having him at their disposal now, considering they are in need of a regular goalscorer.

With Zeki Amdouni and Wout Weghorst leaving the Lancashire outfit in the summer, as well as Obafemi, they needed someone else to step up to the plate.

Andreas Hountondji, Lyle Foster and Rodriguez are the club's main forward options this term, and in fairness, the latter scored a crucial late winner against Swansea City recently.

But the Clarets need a game-changer if they are to secure a return to the top level of English football and Gyokeres, with his pace, ability to get himself in the right positions and excellent finishing skills, could have been a real asset to have this term, as well as last season when they were battling relegation.

Viktor Gyokeres could have made Burnley a serious amount of money

It has been reported that Gyokeres has a €100m release clause in his contract at Sporting - and that the Portuguese outfit may be willing to do a deal in the region of £63m.

Even if he only leaves the club for £63m, that's a very healthy amount of money and this reinforces just how much profit they could have made if they had won the race for the Sweden international.

If he hadn't shone during his first season at Turf Moor, he would have had the opportunity to shine this term, at a level he's thrived at before.

That would have helped to maximise his price tag - and the Clarets could have generated a healthy amount from Gyokeres' potential sale.

With profit and sustainability rules now in play, that money could have been a game-changer for the Lancashire outfit in the transfer market, because it would have allowed them to spend more money.

The fact they didn't come out on top in this race will frustrate Pace and other key figures at the club - because he could have been a magnificent addition.