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Josh Cullen has put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension with Burnley, with the Clarets' 2022 deal for him being a highly shrewd capture.

Burnley brought Josh Cullen along with then manager Vincent Kompany from Anderlecht in 2022, with his new contract extension being a no-brainer for the Clarets.

The Irish international signed for a reported fee of £3m with add-ons, and has developed into a vital component in Burnley's team ever since.

The Clarets evidently see the 28-year-old as a big part of the club's future, after he put pen to paper on a three-year extension at the beginning of September.

But just how important has he been to Burnley as he enters his third season at Turf Moor? And why will his signing undoubtedly go down as a real masterstroke by the club for years to come?

"I have a good relationship with everyone around the club and the fans. I feel happy here,"Cullen told the Burnley club website after news of his contract extension broke.

"I’m just eager now to get back to work this season and get the club back to where it belongs in the Premier League." Helping the club get back to the top-flight of English football is something that he's no stranger to.

In truth, there weren't many Clarets players who played a bigger role than Cullen did in 2022/23, as Kompany's Clarets ran away with the Championship title with 101 points.

The industrious central midfielder played 43 times in the league that season, with his successful 2,696 passes only being bettered by 1.3% of Championship central midfielders in 22/23 - per FotMob

Cullen would then go on to make 25 Premier League appearances last season, and despite suffering relegation, his 1,163 successful passes was enough to rank him in the top 83.7 percentile of Premier League central midfielders last term - per FotMob.

He proved that he could not only hold is own, but that he belonged at Premier League level, captaining the side on numerous occasions.

Cullen may not be the most silky and flashiest central midfielder you've ever seen - with Sander Berge playing that role last season -, but his pass completion rates of 88 and 86.7% (per FotMob) over the last two seasons, speak to how tidy and classy he is.

Rarely is he seen giving the ball away, and when he does, he has the work ethic and desire to go and win it straight back.

Cullen is a player that others look towards on the pitch, as he sets the tempo and indeed the standard for his teammates to follow. If Burnley were to bounce straight back into the Premier League this season, their midfield metronome will likely have played a massive part once again.

After being a standout performer in Burnley's ill-fated Premier League campaign last season, and after playing such a vital role in the Clarets' promotion to the top-flight the season prior, Cullen's importance to the club has not been lost on anyone at Turf Moor.

But, with uncertainty over the long-term future of Josh Brownhill at Burnley, and with just new signing Josh Laurent and 23-year-old Han-Noah Massengo as the only other recognised central midfield options at Parker's disposal, the Irishman could be set to fully take over the midfield reins in the near future.

Brownhill is out of contract at the end of the season, and with serious interest from the Premier League arriving for him over the summer, 2024/25 could well be his farewell tour at Turf Moor.

Should he depart in the near future, Cullen would be a natural successor to take the captain's armband, but even if it was to go elsewhere, he would certainly become the de facto leader in the centre of Burnley's midfield.

As such, with a new three-year deal in his back pocket and gaps potentially set to open up in midfield, Cullen's importance to Burnley may have never been greater than what it is now.