Burnley FC: Alan Pace's comments on Mike Tresor prove that January action needs to be taken | OneFootball

Burnley owner Alan Pace's comments on the situation involving winger Mike Tresor shows a sale is needed in the January action.

Burnley are firmly among the automatic promotion contenders in the Championship, but the mysterious situation involving winger Mike Tresor has caused plenty of speculation over the past few months.

Tresor initially joined Burnley on loan from Belgian side Genk last summer, but he failed to make an impact in the Premier League last season as the club were relegated from the top flight after just one year.

Despite Tresor's underwhelming performances during his loan spell, the Clarets were obliged to sign him permanently for a fee of £15.4 million this summer, but it was not long before rumours emerged linking him with other clubs, and Dutch giants Ajax were said to be interested in the 25-year-old.

A host of players left Turf Moor in the final weeks of the summer transfer window, including the likes of Vitinho, Dara O'Shea, Sander Berge, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Anass Zaroury, Wilson Odobert, Zeki Amdouni and Wout Weghorst, but Tresor remained in Lancashire, and a post on his Instagram story suggested he was not too happy about that.

Tresor returned to training in October, with head coach Scott Parker stating that he is "getting to the point now where he’s selectable", but over a month later, the winger is still yet to feature for Burnley this season, and recent comments by owner Alan Pace have only added to the intrigue about the situation.

Alan Pace opens up on Mike Tresor absence

Pace confirmed that Tresor is fully fit, and he expressed his hope that he would soon be able to help Burnley in their promotion push, but he stopped short of explaining the exact reasons behind his current absence.

"I think it's in the Jimmy Mac Lower, there's somebody that actually holds up a picture that says 'missing', and they ask when I walk by, they asked the other night," Pace said at a fan forum earlier this week.

"I really can't answer a whole lot, I would love for Mike to playing with us really soon.

"What I would maybe suggest and encourage is that we do a writing campaign, I don't know what else to do at this point, but I would love for Mike to be out there and helping us and taking us to a different place.

"Whether or not that will happen, your guess is as good as mine right now to be fair.

"I don't see Mike going anywhere right now, so we'll see.

"But he is here, that I can promise you, I see him regularly, he's training and he's fully fit."

Given that Tresor is training and is fit to play for the Clarets, it remains unclear why he has not been involved this season, and with Pace's comments suggesting there is more to the situation than meets the eye, his departure in January could be the right move for all parties.

Burnley should look to offload Mike Tresor in January

Tresor scored an impressive eight goals and registered 24 assists in 42 games for Genk in the 2022-23 season, so he looked to be an exciting signing for Burnley last summer, but his time at Turf Moor has been a disaster.

If Tresor's performances last season were not disappointing enough for Clarets supporters, his social media post after his failed move to Ajax in the summer further burned his bridges with the fan base, and with the rumour mill going into overdrive about his current absence, it is difficult to see a way back for him at the club.

Burnley may be in a strong position in the Championship table, but they have scored just 15 goals in their last 18 league games, and they have drawn 0-0 on five occasions already, with the latest of those coming at home to Derby County on Tuesday night.

With that in mind, a player of Tresor's creative ability could be useful for Parker's men, but there is little benefit to the Clarets if he is just sitting in the stands, and given the size of the transfer fee the club paid for him, he will likely be on high wages.

As Tresor has not featured for Burnley for over six months, it will be tough for the club to recoup all of the £15.4 million they spent on him, but a club of Ajax's stature were said to be keen in the summer, so that shows there is still a market for the Belgian.

The Clarets do not necessarily have to sell Tresor permanently in January as a loan move could help to put him in the shop window ahead of the summer, but the club must ensure that they at least make some of their money back, otherwise the winger will go down as an incredibly costly transfer mistake.

With six league games coming up over the busy festive period, there is a chance that Tresor could make a surprise appearance, but that seems highly unlikely at this point, and Burnley's focus should be on moving him on in January.