Oxford United could be the benefactors of a Burnley FC January blunder | OneFootball

Hannes Delcroix is reportedly attracting interest from Oxford United in the January window

The comings and goings of the January transfer window are in full swing, and Burnley have been among the busier clubs where outgoings have been concerned.

Andreas Hountondji, Han-Noah Massengo and Owen Dodgson have all already left the club on loan this week, and another Claret looks set to follow them out of the exit door in the coming weeks.

Oxford United are among a host of Championship clubs reportedly interested in signing Hannes Delcroix, with the U's identifying the Belgian as someone who can strengthen their bid to beat the drop.

Since appointing Gary Rowett, things have improved for Oxford, who have opened up a buffer to the bottom three, but will be acutely aware that if they want to retain their second tier status, then they can't rest on their laurels.

That's why they're dipping into the January market for reinforcements, and Delcroix could be someone who can really help out their push to stay in the league.

Signed by Vincent Kompany in August 2023, Delcroix swapped Anderlecht for Burnley in the hope he could help the Clarets keep their heads above water in the Premier League, but that ultimately never proved to be the case.

Injuries blighted his first season in the top-flight and he was never a mainstay in the team, although it's worth noting that Kompany often elected to play him out of position at left back, which certainly didn't suit him in that system.

Before his Premier League move, he'd played top-flight football in Belgium for Anderlecht, so it could be argued that his footballing CV would be among the best of anyone at Oxford.

Naturally, that doesn't necessarily mean he'd be an amazing signing, but in the case of Delcroix, he would certainly be a useful asset for Oxford, not least because he does bring a bit of versatility to plug two different positions if need be, although centre back is his strongest position.

Left-sided centre halves are hard to come by in today's game, and they bring a great balance to a back four, something that could be of use to Oxford who, under Rowett, have placed a huge focus on their defensive output.

A product of a European academy though, Delcroix can play too, and some could argue is nearly a complete centre back, but the competition at Burnley is so high that he simply hasn't been able to work his way in.

That's not to say he won't be good enough for Oxford though - there are no doubts that at Championship level he would still be a top performer if afforded the chance.

Burnley could perhaps have found a place in the squad for Hannes Delcroix

Delcroix would argue he hasn't really been afforded a fair crack of the whip at Burnley and is being shipped out before being given a chance to impress Scott Parker.

Getting into the heart of the Burnley defence was always likely to be a tall order with Maxime Esteve widely regarded as one of the best centre backs in the Championship, but with Parker's system favouring a centre back at full back, Delcroix could've featured there.

A section of Clarets fans would argue he's a better option than Lucas Pires, who flatters to deceive and splits opinion at Turf Moor, so for Delcroix not to even be given the chance to prove he could play there is a little disappointing.

It's been proved this season that bringing that attack-minded Pires back into the team upsets the balance of the side, and although Delcroix didn't suit playing left back in a Kompany team, he would've done a lot more in a Parker system.