Burnley aren't getting value for money on £32,500-a-week man - Ipswich Town may have dodged £25m bullet | OneFootball

Lyle Foster has yet to give Burnley much return on their heavy investment

If there's been one criticism of Burnley this season, then it's been their distinct lack of goals, and although that largely comes down to the system Scott Parker deploys, their big-money striker simply hasn't delivered enough this season.

Lyle Foster has flitted in and out of the team this season, and when he has been in the side, he's largely operated off the left of late, which is a damning indictment of a man who cost the club almost £10m in January 2023.

Burnley have been involved in a raft of Championship draws this season - with lots finishing 0-0 - and they'll be games they look back on at the end of the season if they miss out on promotion tinged with regret about what could've been.

The biggest regret will probably have been not having a striker on the pitch who can score goals on a regular basis, although admittedly they have been difficult to come across in the whole of the Championship this season it seems.

Irrespective of what other clubs do, Burnley would've expected Foster to perform on a more regular basis than he has done, and when he has played up front, he hasn't done anything to suggest Parker should trust him there every week.

Lyle Foster is estimated to scoop big money at Turf Moor

According to Capology, Foster is estimated to be scooping £32,500 per week at Turf Moor, making him the fifth-highest earner at the club, but there's been little to suggest that's a good investment for the Clarets.

Foster has the physical profile to be a huge success up front, with his pace and strength making him a powerful runner, while he's willing to do the hard yards off the ball too, something most strikers don't want to do.

But he lacks something every good striker has - killer instinct - he simply struggles to put the ball in the back of the net on a regular basis, and just two league goals this season suggests as much.

It's something he's lacked in his whole career, if truth be told, as not once in his career has he struck double figures in a league campaign, which beggars belief as to how Burnley spent so much money on him.

The mere fact he's been replaced at the top end of the pitch this season by Zian Flemming, who is typically a number 10, shows just how little faith Parker has in a man who was meant to score hatfuls of goals

Burnley may regret Ipswich Town deal not materialising

In the summer, amid a mass exodus of players from Turf Moor, Foster was understood to be closing in on a move to Ipswich Town, which was an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy for £25m.

The deal obviously never materialised, but it's one Burnley will surely look back on now and wish it had done, particularly with how this season has panned out for Foster with injuries and a lack of form.

The thought of someone being willing to pay £25m for Foster would've had Alan Pace and co licking their lips, so it's crazy to think that the deal never came off. The only logical explanation would be that Ipswich came to their senses.

It would've gone down as one of the best deals Burnley ever pulled off to turn such a healthy profit on a man who has never scored goals on a prolific basis, but for now the Clarets are stuck with him and will have to put faith in his turnaround.

This failed deal is sure to weigh heavily though, and with his contract ticking down too, it will need a remarkable turnaround for Burnley to get anywhere near that kind of fee if they try to sell Foster again.