Burnley FC have struck gold with Man City transfer deal | OneFootball

CJ Egan-Riley has proven his worth at Burnley since completing a move from Manchester City in 2022

CJ Egan-Riley was starting to run the risk of becoming a forgotten man at Burnley, but his performances in recent weeks have shown exactly why he was brought to the club in the summer of 2022.

The 22-year-old centre-back was signed by Vincent Kompany when the Belgian took charge of the Clarets following their relegation to the Championship in 2022, and it's fair to say he's had to bide his time.

Egan-Riley spent time on loan with Hibernian during the 2022/23 season, before a further loan spell with Jong PSV last season, the reserve team of Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven.

Spending time on loan with another club's reserve team seemed a strange move, and you wouldn't have blamed Burnley supporters for wondering if Egan-Riley was really good enough, but he's come back from his loan spell in the Dutch second tier a different player, and they're reaping the rewards.

Burnley have struck gold with Man City, CJ Egan-Riley deal

It's fair to say that it's been a bit of a slow burner, but Egan-Riley is finally showing exactly what he's capable of and why Kompany was so keen to bring him to Turf Moor in the summer of 2022.

The defender was highly-rated at the Etihad Stadium and had made three first-team appearances for Pep Guardiola's side during the 2021/22 campaign, but the chance to play regular first-team football at Burnley looked too good to pass up.

However, Egan-Riley wasn't playing regularly when he first joined the Clarets, and he played just six games in his first season at the club, totaling 19 minutes of Championship football, before being loaned to Hibernian.

Things were even worse last season as he failed to make a senior appearance, and it looked like he had no real future at the club before things completely transformed for him this season.

Egan-Riley didn't feature in the opening two games of the campaign, but he was handed a chance in the defeat against Sunderland back in August, and he hasn't looked back since.

He's made 23 appearances in all competitions so far, becoming a regular starter in Scott Parker's Championship side, and he's impressed, becoming a fan favourite at Turf Moor.

As a centre-back, being solid defensively is clearly the priority for Egan-Riley, but the highlight of his Burnley career so far is arguably the goal he scored against Coventry City in November, with a cultured chip finding the back of the net and winning the club's goal of the month award.

While it must be remembered that Egan-Riley is only young at 22, the turnaround he's enjoyed in the last six months or so has been nothing short of remarkable, and one of Burnley's main priorities this month should be tying him down to a long-term deal.

Burnley need to hand CJ Egan-Riley a new contract urgently

Egan-Riley's contract situation at Burnley is a slightly confusing one, because the club's X account claimed that he penned a four-year deal when he joined in 2022, while the club's website says it was a three-year deal.

This means that Egan-Riley could actually be out of contract this summer, and they must get him to sign a new long-term deal instead of losing him for free.

Regardless of whether it was a three-year deal or a four-year deal, Egan-Riley's recent performances and his importance to Parker's side means that owner Alan Pace should be attempting to thrash out a new deal with the 22-year-old.

It's easy to see why the defender was on the books of Man City, and he looks like a future Premier League player, whether that be with Burnley or elsewhere, so he could well make them a lot of money in the future.