Vincent Kompany cools talk of Burnley player exit amid Swansea City interest | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany insists he is happy to be working with a big Burnley squad for the rest of the season, playing down talk that Ashley Barnes could depart for Swansea City.

The experienced striker has featured regularly for the Clarets under the Belgian but he hasn’t been prolific, with his only two goals of the campaign coming in the derby day win over Blackburn.

Therefore, bringing in a new number nine was the priority for Kompany this month, but Burnley have brought in two, as Michael Obafemi follows Lyle Foster through the door.

That has sparked speculation that Barnes could depart, with reports claiming the Swans are keen.

However, speaking to Wales Online, Kompany explained the process behind the new recruits, as he outlined why they are looking ahead by strengthening now.

“Yeah we have competition but everybody is on a different timescale, I think we have five players on loan and the worst moment to fill the void is at the start of a season so we have tried to anticipate a little bit and so we have to see the bigger picture.

“We didn’t really have huge needs for this winter and for now but I have been in the game long enough know that by the summer we will be having loads of expectations on the squad and it is better to work with them a little bit earlier. That is why it doesn’t matter if the numbers are a little bit bigger.”

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The verdict

This is a sensible message from Kompany and it shows that he is very happy with how his Burnley squad is looking right now, which is totally understandable given their position.

Of course, even though he might be happy, the dynamics can change if Barnes, or any other player, wants to leave for more game time, which is possible.

So, it’s still one to monitor in the coming days and it will be interesting to see how this plays out.