Lennon wings into Turf Moor

Winger Aaron Lennon feels he has a lot to offer after agreeing a move to Burnley from Everton.
Aaron LennonAaron Lennon
Aaron Lennon

Lennon, 30, has joined the Clarets for an undisclosed fee and will wear squad number 25.

The England international ends a two-and-a-half-year stay at Goodison Park, following a successful loan spell on Merseyside from Tottenham Hotspur during the second half of the 2014/15 season, to become the Clarets’ first permanent signing of the January transfer window.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

And after 14 years as a player in the top flight, the winger is keen to help Burnley continue to establish themselves as a Premier League club and build on their current eighth place in the table under manager Sean Dyche.

Lennon told Clarets Player HD: “Burnley was the club I wanted to come to and I can’t wait to get started. I’m looking forward to playing here.

“The club is moving forward and I want to hopefully play a part in that to keep it going in that direction.

“I think I’ve still got a lot to offer. I am only 30 and I still want to play at the highest level.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“I have missed a bit of football in the last year or so and I just want to get back and play as much as possible.

“I’ve never had an easy game against Burnley and this year they have done fantastic. They deserve to be where they are.

“Hopefully I can help the side continue that and have a good end to the season.

“The team has done brilliant. There are 14 games to go and hopefully we can kick on and maintain a place in the top half, which would be brilliant for the football club.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Before joining Everton on a three-year deal in September, 2015 Lennon spent a highly productive decade with Spurs, having started his career with hometown club Leeds United.

The Yorkshireman came through the youth system at Elland Road before becoming the then-youngest player to appear in the Premier League when he made his first-team debut at the age of 16 years, 129 days in August, 2003.

Following Leeds’ relegation and a season in the Championship, Lennon moved to White Hart Lane in June, 2005 to start a 10-year stay with Spurs, which saw him make 364 appearances for the North London club.

He helped Tottenham secure eight top-six finishes in the Premier League, as well as winning the 2008 League Cup final and reaching the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2011 under Harry Redknapp.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Joining Everton on loan three years ago this month, Lennon played a key role in helping Roberto Martinez’s side pull away from relegation trouble to finish 11th in the Premier League, the place they occupied again in 2015/16 after Lennon had joined on a permanent basis.

He played a total of 77 games for the Toffees - scoring nine times - including 19 appearances this season as a team-mate of former Burnley defender Michael Keane.

“I spoke to Keano a few times. He had nothing but good words to say about the club and he wished me well.

“He’s a great lad and a top player. I played with him for a little while and he’s a top player, who’s going to go a long way in the game,” added Lennon, who starts a new phase of his career with the Clarets, having made almost 350 Premier League appearances and played close to 500 club games in total.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Lennon has also been capped 21 times by England, playing in both the 2006 and 2010 World Cup finals.

And one of his two caps for England ‘B’ was won in an injury-curtailed appearance for Steve McClaren’s side in a 3-1 win over Albania in May, 2007 at Turf Moor.