Sean Dyche on same page as chairman Alan Pace as regards the next step for Burnley

Sean Dyche has agreed a new four-year contract, believing he and chairman Alan Pace are aligned as to the direction the club can head in.
Sean DycheSean Dyche
Sean Dyche

There has been much debate around Burnley's ambition, with some critics suggesting they are happy to just stay in the Premier League - despite two top-10 finishes in four seasons, and a return to European football after 51 years in 2018.

Former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan said this week on talkSPORT: "Is it treading water or is it being among the elite clubs in the Premier League? It depends which way you want to look at it. They are in the top 20 clubs in English football and that in their own right there is something elite about it.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"I'd rather be a lesser-run Premier League club that survives every season than a brave Premier League club that gets it wrong and perhaps gets relegated back to the Championship and sees all the nature of football that - while it's still meaningful - isn’t quite the same excitement, quite the same exhilaration or quite the same feel.”

Last season was very much about staying in the division, in a season which Dyche described as his most challenging, under the previous board, with the purse strings pulled tight.

But, having brought in five new signings, Nathan Collins, Wayne Hennessey, Aaron Lennon, Maxwel Cornet and Connor Roberts, with an outlay of just over £25m, Dyche feels the club can move forward after a difficult period.

He said: "The hard work has to remain, because the Premier League is tough and it is ongoing challenge for us.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"The idea of the alignment of the next steps has been the key thing.

"Alan (Pace) has been very, very open with me on what they think they can do, what they think they can achieve and how they want to achieve it, more on the football side.

"I used to have a say on lots of areas of the club, but the way the club has grown and the staff has grown, the office of the club, they ask my opinion and I share those opinions, but I look at the football side and taking care of that.

"We totally agree on that side, and then the playing side of how can we develop the team still within a fair minded view of the finance.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"If you look at this summer, we have spent some money which was needed, but we brought in money for Ben Gibson, Josh Benson, Jimmy Dunne, so there is still a balance, but I just feel it is stretched in a more favourable and positive way.

"I think Alan has made it clear that that is there intention.

"Within reason, can we better the situation, go and improve it, be more open minded with our recruitment, certainly outside the UK, so that is what we are looking to do and that is what we have done."

Pace was keen, as soon as the takeover was complete in January, to address Dyche's contract, which was due to expire at the end of this season, and on the chairman's role, Dyche added: "Obviously he has had a main role, the biggest decision of all is when these things happen and pen goes to paper.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"Alan is open minded and he takes the process well and wants that.

"Inevitably it comes down to his decision to sign off with things, and he was more than happy to sign of on my situation

"Our negotiations were very open between the two of us so it was quite simple in that format.

"I am pleased that he aligns with me, or I align with him, whichever way you look at it."