Jaidon Anthony needs Burnley FC to win promotion more so than many Clarets players, here's why | OneFootball

Jaidon Anthony has had a taste of Premier League football - his best chance of more is with Burnley.

Sometimes loan players can be painted as mercenary, not particularly caring about the future of their temporary clubs.

That is certainly not the case for Jaidon Anthony, who has a vested interest in securing promotion with Burnley this season.

Thanks to a clause in his loan deal to the Clarets from AFC Bournemouth, Anthony knows he can secure his future – and with it, earn another chance in the Premier League.

Jaidon Anthony's journey from Premier League starter to Championship substitute

At 25-years old, Anthony has 33 Premier League games under his belt, and over a century of second-tier appearances.

The winger had made regular appearances during the 2022/23 top-flight season before starting for Bournemouth in the following campaign.

However, after three games to start the 2023/24 Premier League season, Anthony found himself in limbo on deadline day.

AFC Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola has frequently spoken about how much he likes Anthony, but the winger’s status as an academy graduate means Cherries can make more profit from his potential sale.

Having only been handed his proper chance in the Bournemouth first team during the 2021/22 season, Anthony also lacks experience in comparison to other wingers at Dean Court.

Luis Sinisterra, Antoine Semenyo, and Dango Ouattara all arrived at Bournemouth with experience on the international stage, whilst David Brooks has long been an established name for the Cherries.

With opportunities limited, and game time key to Anthony’s development, the winger became the odd one out, with Cherries now shipping him out on loan for two successive seasons.

Anthony’s loan switch to Leeds United was meant to be a win-win for all parties. Bournemouth were after Leeds’ wantaway winger Sinisterra; Leeds did not want to lose the Colombian without bringing in another winger.

As such, Anthony was convinced to drop down to Leeds, under the presumption that his experience of winning Championship promotion in 2022 would translate to regular game time at Elland Road.

Bournemouth had their new winger; Leeds had a replacement, and Anthony would have more opportunities in a lower league. That did not transpire.

Anthony was reduced to a bench role to little impact, his 31 appearances yielding just 479 minutes of Championship action.

In truth, it was a wasted year for Anthony, who had played almost triple that amount of minutes in the Premier League the season before.

To make matters worse, Bournemouth had signed Sinisterra on a permanent basis – meaning there was again no space for Anthony on the south coast.

Reunion with Scott Parker at Burnley reignited Jaidon Anthony’s fortunes

When Scott Parker was announced as the new Burnley manager, Anthony must have instantly thought about linking back up with his old Bournemouth boss.

Whilst Anthony had been given his professional debut by Jason Tindall the season before Parker arrived at Bournemouth, it was not until the following campaign that the winger would truly become a regular for the Cherries.

During the early months of Parker’s time at Bournemouth, the squad was fairly threadbare, leading to a lot of youngsters getting game time in the Championship.

As Bournemouth slowly strengthened in the final month of the window, the young players started to fade away. But Anthony, alongside left-back Jordan Zemura and goalkeeper Mark Travers, had done enough to remain in Parker’s plans.

Bournemouth would go on to secure second in the Championship, and with it, automatic promotion, as Anthony played in all but one league game.

His first full season as a professional footballer saw Anthony score eight times and provide a further six goals, and Parker clearly remembered that when he brought the winger with him to Burnley.

Already, Anthony has made the same number of league appearances for Burnley as he did for Leeds – but this season, those 31 appearances have produced 2,632 minutes, over five times the amount of playing time he received at Leeds.

That has led to a healthy return of three goals and five assists, helping the Clarets in their quest for promotion.

Anthony has recently revealed that promotion to the Premier League with Burnley would secure a permanent move, and as such, the former Arsenal man must be determined to make that a reality.

Not only would Anthony secure more consistent game time under a manager he knows so well, but he would also get another shot at the Premier League – an opportunity he has been denied at Bournemouth through no fault of his own.

After finally breaking through as a professional, Anthony now needs to find a long-term home at a club. He will hope that will be with Burnley – and he knows that if he can help them to the Premier League, he can guarantee it.