"West Brom, Norwich and Watford" - Don Goodman hands warning to Burnley and Scott Parker | OneFootball

The Sky Sports pundit has warned Scott Parker to avoid the fates of previously-relegated outfits after taking the Burnley job

Sky Sports pundit Don Goodman has warned Scott Parker and newly-relegated Burnley that they could fall away from promotion contention like "West Brom, Norwich and Watford" if they let their best players leave this summer.

The appointment of promotion specialist Parker concluded an extensive managerial hunt following the departure of Vincent Kompany to Bundesliga juggernaut Bayern Munich. The ex-Tottenham Hotspur has twice achieved promotion from the Championship with Fulham and Bournemouth and such credentials align with the Clarets' natural intention of returning to the Premier League at the very first time of asking.

Of the three sides to have suffered relegation from the top flight in 2023/24, Burnley widely appear best-placed to launch a successful promotion charge, but that may change if they fail to follow Goodman's warning.

Don Goodman issues Norwich/West Brom/Watford warning to Burnley and Scott Parker

The pundit has praised the appointment of Parker, though he contends that Burnley could find themselves incapable of realising their promotion ambitions and suffer a similar fate to previously-relegated sides if they don't hold on to some of their prized assets.

"Scott Parker is suffering the same sort of criticism as Gareth Southgate," he told OLBG.

"His success in the Championship is there for all to see and he's said that he wants to prove himself again after struggling at Club Brugge. He's got a squad capable of competing at the top of the Championship but there's a long time left of the transfer window, so that could change. This is a great opportunity for him.

"People complain about his style, it's very possession-based and patient which follows what Vincent Kompany’s side was doing. Burnley fans are educated and appreciate a possession-based style now.

"It's all about results for Scott Parker and getting off to a good start. If their squad remains one of the strongest, then the pressure is on and he has to get results early to keep the wolves away from the door. It (Burnley and Scott Parker) does seem like a decent marriage to me.

"But for me, Burnley's success will be down to which players remain at the club and who leaves, rather than Scott Parker. If he loses the best players, they could transition away from promotion contenders in the same way that West Brom, Norwich and Watford have done in the past."

Burnley and Scott Parker must avoid West Brom, Norwich and Watford fate

As the ambition is promotion, the Turf Moor faithful will rightly grow impatient - and fast - if Burnley fail to hit the ground running in the early stages of next season even if they do lose their best players.

Keeping top-class Championship operators such as Dara O'Shea, Josh Cullen, Sander Berge and Luca Koleosho - who hasn't played in the division but looks poised to play a leading role - would be a big statement of intent from Burnley, and it's exactly what they must look to do at all costs.

They'll naturally be powerless to prevent some players from leaving and it wouldn't even be a remote surprise to see Wilson Odobert and James Trafford move on before the end of next month, but they need to keep the nucleus of an extremely strong second-tier squad intact if they're serious on promotion.

Just like Kompany, Parker is a manager who requires quality and highly-technical players to successfully execute his possession-based style of play and Burnley's squad is currently suited to that, of course. It may not be if several faces move out the exit door before long, though, and their most successful activity could actually turn out to be simply keeping their best players at the club.

The likes of Norwich and West Brom have failed to do so following their respective relegations in recent seasons and haven't returned to the Premier League since, so Goodman has issued a rightful warning that the Clarets must take on board.