"If you were getting £7m+ " - Burnley, Anass Zaroury claim made amid uncertain Turf Moor future | OneFootball

Burnley have a current conundrum with Anass Zaroury following their return to the Championship

The past twelve months have inflicted real damage on the stock of Burnley winger Anass Zaroury.

After signing from Belgian side Sporting Charleroi in August 2022, Zaroury played an instrumental role in Burnley's impressive promotion back to the Premier League under Vincent Kompany by producing seven goals and five assists from 34 outings.

Top-flight opportunities were not quite as forthcoming, however, with the four-cap Moroccan international only chalking up 148 minutes of action before making an ill-fated January loan switch to Liam Rosenior's Hull City.

Widely tipped to light up the Championship and fire the Tigers into the top-six alongside the likes of Jaden Philogene and Fabio Carvalho, Zaroury's two strikes from 12 matches was an underwhelming return for a player who had made such an impactful impression in the division the season before.

Just as the Clarets themselves are following Vincent Kompany's decision to trade Burnley for Bayern Munich in the wake of relegation, Zaroury is in immediate limbo.

To his detriment, Burnley's wing stable is currently well-stocked, featuring Luca Koleosho, Wilson Odobert, Nathan Redmond, Johann Berg Gudmundsson and Manuel Benson - all of whom have previously excelled, or will be expected to, in the Championship.

Burnley may have to keep Anass Zaroury due to low potential transfer value

When it comes to the winger, Burnley are in a difficult situation; do they sell for a potentially-low price or keep hold of him despite the stern competition for places?

It's a real conundrum for Football League World's Burnley fan pundit Ben Livingstone, who admitted that Zaroury's future likely hinges upon the managerial direction that the Clarets elect to go in.

"With Zaroury it's a tough one for me personally, because I really like him but there are so many options out wide," Ben told Football League World.

"I'm going to imagine that (Jacob) Brunn Larsen's not going to come back, because if he had then he would've done it before he went to the Euros (with Denmark).

"A couple million, maybe what we paid for him, but his stock was so high.

"It obviously depends on what the new manager - whoever that is to be - thinks, but there are so many options out wide and it depends if Odobert and Koleosho leave, then it might be easier to just keep Zaroury then try and bring someone new in.

"It's hard to answer these questions until we get a manager in, but as of right now I'd probably keep him in the picture rather than cash-in, because I don't know how much money we'd get.

"If you were getting £7m+ then you'd take it."

Burnley can still find use for Anass Zaroury in Championship promotion bid

The reality is that Burnley would be very fortunate to collect that sum for Zaroury, but his natural ability should make them inclined to keeping him at Turf Moor.

A supremely gifted technician, Zaroury's direct running and ability to exert a degree of 'X-factor' on matches during the 2022/23 season was a nightmare for Championship opposition.

With a consistent run of games and, in turn, a comforting display of faith from Burnley's next manager, there is every chance that Zaroury can replicate that impact next time around.

He's still only 23 too, which tells you that he can develop further as a footballer and is also capable of eventually netting Burnley a strong transfer fee if everything aligns for him, so they shouldn't be so hasty just yet.

Ben rightly pointed out the present array of wide options that Burnley have at their disposal, and while Benson, Redmond and even Gudmundsson will all make strong claims for a starting berth, it would be a surprise to see prospect Odobert stay put beyond the summer window.

Admittedly, it will be an issue for Zaroury if he somehow does, but Burnley's focus should be orientated on cultivating a potent wing partnership with him and 19-year-old flyer Koleosho, who is primed to have a leading influence come August.