Burnley FC: Scott Parker must avoid January repeat of Norwich City flop | OneFootball

Burnley's signing of Robbie Brady in January 2017 certainly won't live long in the memory

In the heat of a promotion battle, it's imperative Burnley get their January recruitment spot on or they risk seeing their quest to make an instant return to the top-flight go up in smoke.

The Clarets have already moved to add Oliver Sonne and the experienced Ashley Barnes to their ranks, but it doesn't feel like Burnley are going to stop there.

Scott Parker's men still seem a little light in attack, and it's no secret that the two-time promotion winning boss would like to bolster his front line this month and has already made moves to do so, with Plymouth's Morgan Whittaker a man of interest.

Largely playing off the right but being predominantly left-footed, Whittaker is a man who suits what Parker wants from a wide man, as he's tended to play wingers on their opposite side this term, and that's a tactic Sean Dyche deployed several years ago.

It was a left-footed dynamo who he used off the right that will keep Burnley fans up at night this month, fearing a repeat of a deal that can only be described as a flop.

Much was expected of Robbie Brady when Burnley spent a then-club-record £13m to sign the Republic of Ireland international from Norwich City, but the versatile wide man flattered to deceive throughout his spell at Turf Moor.

The main issue Brady had in East Lancashire was injuries. Whether that was the heavy approach of a Dyche-managed team or he simply wasn't up to the demands of the Premier League is unknown, but he spent a lot of time at Burnley in the treatment room.

Even when he did play, he did precious little to justify the hefty price tag the Clarets paid for him, although the infancy of his career did look promising when he struck a 30-yard free-kick against Chelsea in one of his first appearances.

He never truly followed that up, and despite having a mightily impressive start to the 2017/18 season, in which Burnley qualified for Europe, a cruel injury in December ended his season, and in truth, his Turf Moor career, as he never came back at the same level.

Robbie Brady could never re-find form after his return

It's hard to be overly critical of Brady's time at Turf Moor as injuries did absolutely decimate his spell in East Lancashire, but his performance levels when he was fit and available show why this deal is one Burnley need to avoid this term.

After his return, a series of small niggly injuries continued to stunt his progress, and when he was subbed on and off in the same game against Fulham in 2021 that felt like the end for Brady.

That ultimately proved to be true too, as he only ever played two more times for the club before he left at the end of the 2020/21 season, leaving on a free transfer to hand Burnley a huge transfer regret and little return on their £13m investment.

He's since gone on to become a regular in the Championship for Preston, playing 30+ games in each of the last two seasons - something he never once managed at Burnley!

Investing £13m in a flop was passable for Burnley back then, given the stable financial position of the club and the fact they were an established Premier League club.

They now don't have that kind of money to waste, so it's crucial that Parker doesn't make a repeat of Dyche's mistake this month.