Bayern Munich, Luca Koleosho situation should be no surprise given Vincent Kompany antics | OneFootball

Vincent Kompany has previously pinched players from ex-club Anderlecht, so it's no surprise he's looking to repeat that by signing Koleosho for Bayern

Further salt could just be added to Burnley's wounds of losing Vincent Kompany, with the now-Bayern Munich boss reportedly eyeing Luca Koleosho in a potential deal which really shouldn't be too much of a surprise.

The highly-rated Belgian departed Turf Moor in the wake of Burnley's dismal relegation from the Premier League, where they were sent packing back to the Championship twelve months after their emphatic title triumph.

It was, of course, widely viewed as a shock when Kompany left for German giants Bayern Munich after enduring such a miserable 2023/24 season with the Clarets. That school of thought is perhaps weighed down by Kompany's progressive coaching style, pedigree and proven ability to optimise a truly competitive squad, mind you, all of which will have been driving factors behind Bayern's decision.

Now in Bavaria, Kompany has the likes of Harry Kane, Serge Gnabry, Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and Jamal Musiala as attacking options at his disposal, but he's likely to sanction changes in the final third before long. That's because Bayern are poised to offload either Gnabry or Sane next summer in order to free up space for the arrival of another winger and Koleosho is on their list, according to a report from Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg.

The Clarets wide-man was signed by Kompany from Espanyol in the summer of 2023 and impressed under his tutelage before suffering a season-ending injury back in December.

Koleosho, who penned a new five-year deal with Burnley following the conclusion of the summer transfer window, has reportedly been courted by the likes of Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Wolves.

Vincent Kompany, Bayern Munich transfer interest in Burnley's Luca Koleosho is unsurprising

There is one factor which offers even more logic, and alleviates any potential surprise, regarding Kompany's reported pursuit of Koleosho.

During his time in Lancashire, Kompany poached two of his former players from ex-club Anderlecht, whom he had managed before returning to the north-west for his first spell in English management. The first player he swooped back in for was Josh Cullen, who orchestrated a pivotal role in their promotion from the Championship as the collected, deep-lying, tempo-setting midfielder at the heartbeat of Kompany's heavy possession-based approach before remaining a regular in the Premier League.

Cullen has proved to be an incredibly astute bit of business from Burnley, vindicating Kompany's decision to reunite with the Republic of Ireland international. Indeed, it was Kompany who had brought Cullen across to Belgium from West Ham United in the first place.

Last August, Kompany returned to haunt the Belgian club once again by completing a deal for central defender Hannes Delcroix, who admittedly has not been quite as much of a success story as Cullen. The 25-year-old has suffered tough luck with injuries and, as such, has not featured in competitive action since March.

Nonetheless, Kompany has twice displayed a real proclivity to reuniting with his former players after taking a new job and that should come as a concern for Burnley, who may find it difficult to get in the way of a reunion.

Luca Koleosho's 24/25 form at Burnley

Although Koleosho has arguably failed to live up to expectations in the Championship thus far, that clearly hasn't served as anything of a deterrent to Kompany - who knows about his qualities all-too-well.

The Italy youth international was a bright spark in the top-flight and had been expected to light up the Championship. Following a bright start, Koleosho has fizzled out somewhat as of late and is currently struggling, albeit in a side sorely lacking in creativity and attacking impetus under Scott Parker.

At this moment in time, Burnley are measuring up as one of the division's most inefficient sides in the final third, directed by a style of play widely deemed as overly-pragmatic - so some degree of latitude must be afforded to Koleosho.

He's not added to his account in over two months and has returned just two goals from 14 matches. Undeniably talented and richly promising with respect to his long-term potential, Burnley may just be demanding a bit more from Koleosho but it doesn't seem like that's going to stop Kompany from trying to sign him a second time.