Exclusive: Burnley FC urged to avoid letting £45k-a-week star leave Turf Moor | OneFootball

David Prutton believes Josh Brownhill would be a huge loss for Burnley if he leaves over the summer.

Burnley confirmed their promotion to the Premier League on Easter Monday with a 2-1 win over their nearest-challengers Sheffield United at Turf Moor.

Scott Parker’s side extended their unbeaten league run to a remarkable 31 games, as well as sealing a return to the top flight at the first time of asking.

With Burnley now promoted, attention behind the scenes will surely already be turning to next season.

With several members of the first-team squad out of contract over the summer, Parker and chairman Alan Pace will no doubt be faced with some tough decisions to make as they aim to strengthen ahead of next term.

One of those players is Josh Brownhill, who captains the side and has been phenomenal for them all season long.

David Prutton believes Burnley would miss Brownhill massively

Such is the level of quality in the Premier League now, that every club who is promoted out of the Championship must be ruthless in their decision-making over the summer, or they risk being overrun and coming straight back down.

The likes of Nottingham Forest have shown how much investment can be necessary even to just compete in the top flight.

As such, members of promoted squads can often fall into the background or even depart clubs altogether as clubs prepare to face some of the world’s top teams.

That can even apply to stars like Brownhill, who scored both goals in Burnley’s win on Monday, especially given his current contractual situation.

With that in mind, we asked EFL pundit David Prutton whether he feels Brownhill would be a big loss for Burnley if he left Turf Moor over the summer.

Speaking exclusively to Football League World, Prutton said: “He (Brownhill) appears to be an extremely reliable teammate, an inspirational captain and an enthusiastic member of any dressing room he’s been part of.

“That’s before you even talk about his quality on the pitch. He’s a very, very good footballer, with the attributes and the athletic ability to really make a difference, which is what he’s done.

“He’s got 16 goals from midfield and goals at very important times, as we saw on Monday, which was an utterly nerveless finish for the penalty.

“If Burnley were to let him go, he would be a huge miss, not just on the pitch but off it as well. He’s more than played his part in getting them to the Premier League.

“We know how ruthless it can be with the turnover of players when you move to a different division, and time will tell whether Scott and Alan Pace believe him to be part of the next chapter of the adventure.

“But, if it was to be a position where something couldn’t be agreed, then there’d be a bun fight for his signature because I think he’s a tremendous player.”

Brownhill has been excellent for Burnley this season

Ever since his first real taste of the division, Brownhill has been a very strong midfield option throughout his career in the Championship.

Despite putting up impressive numbers over the course of his spells with both Bristol City and Burnley, few could have predicted just how influential the £45k-a-week star has been for Parker’s side this season.

16 goals and five assists is simply an incredible return for a man who plies his trade in the middle of the park, rather than in one of the more advanced midfield roles that are becoming so common.

Only Norwich’s Borja Sainz and Leeds’ Joel Piroe have found the net more times than Brownhill in the Championship this term and, while he has scored three penalties, he has also showcased his ability to arrive late into the box on several occasions.

When you factor in the sheer strength of his all-round game, plus the leadership qualities that he brings as captain of the side, it will surely be a no-brainer for the Clarets to table the offer of a new deal for their star man.

Although he has struggled to translate his form in the second tier into the Premier League in the past, there were signs that he may have begun to bridge that gap last year, when he notched four goals and three assists in what was an ill-fated season for the Lancashire outfit.

At 29, the former Barnsley and Preston man is now in the prime of his career, so the club must surely have confidence that he can produce again for them next season.