"My gut feeling" - Burnley FC verdict issued on Josh Brownhill's future amid Everton, West Ham interest | OneFootball

Everton and West Ham are both reportedly circling, along with Turkish outfit Besiktas, hoping to tempt Josh Brownhill away from Turf Moor.

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

With the summer transfer window looming, Burnley fans are bracing themselves for another round of speculation. This time, it’s club captain Josh Brownhill who’s attracting attention. Everton and West Ham are both reportedly circling, along with Turkish outfit Besiktas, hoping to tempt the midfielder away from Turf Moor after a standout season.

The 29-year-old midfielder enjoyed a sensational return in the Championship, netting 18 goals and providing six assists in 42 league appearances as Burnley racked up 100 points on their way back to the Premier League. With no extension yet agreed, the Clarets face a summer-long battle to retain their engine room leader.

Since joining six years ago from Bristol City, it became clear that Brownhill was destined for a leadership role. His natural ability to read the game, coupled with a calm yet commanding presence on the pitch, led to his appointment as club captain. His leadership credentials were on display throughout, with Burnley’s promotion bid built around both defensive resilience and midfield drive, the latter personified by Brownhill’s late-arriving runs and set-piece threat.

There's a gut feeling Josh Brownhill will stay at Burnley amid Everton, West Ham links

West Ham are reportedly “willing to make a good offer” to lure him to the London Stadium, keen to find a low-cost creative spark for Graham Potter’s midfield. Everton, meanwhile, view him as the perfect replacement for an ageing Abdoulaye Doucouré, eyeing a player already proven in English football.

We caught up with FLW’s Burnley pundit, Will Lancaster, for his view on whether Brownhill stays or leaves Turf Moor. Will admitted the situation is far from clear-cut, but he’s leaning towards optimism.

He said, "I'm very on the fence with Josh Brownhill, obviously you want him to stay, and 18 goals in a league season from attacking midfield and sometimes centre midfield speaks for itself.

"But I am quite confident that he’ll stay, more so than CJ Egan-Riley. I think just as club captain and we’ll be able to maybe offer him a new contract with a get-out clause if we do go down.

"He’s spoke a lot about the good harmony in the dressing room and appears to be one of the ringleaders in that. Close to the likes of Connor Roberts and Josh Cullen – whether he’d chuck that away and not want to become the face of the club – is up to him but my gut feeling is that he’ll stay and become a real legend in terms of looking back on his career.

"Would he rather go to Everton and West Ham and be a bit-part player or would he rather start every game in the league under a manager that doesn’t have enough superlatives for him"

Potential for Josh Brownhill to become a Burnley FC legend if he commits future to Turf Moor

Burnley have every incentive to tie down their talisman.

Beyond the obvious on-pitch benefits, keeping Brownhill would signal ambition to prospective signings that Turf Moor remains a place to build a competitive Premier League side.

A new deal could feasibly include a relegation release clause, safeguarding both player and club, while underscoring Brownhill’s status as a future Burnley legend.