“Solves a problem position” – Burnley closing in on Arsenal transfer agreement: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World’s ‘The Verdict‘ series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Burnley are closing in on their first signing of the Vincent Kompany era after having a £2 million bid for Arsenal centre-back Dan Ballard accepted, according to Football Insider.

Kompany has been left with a serious rebuilding job on his hands, especially in defence, following the departures of James Tarkowski and Ben Mee, and has already had offers rejected for Oxford United’s Luke McNally.

Now though, a breakthrough appears to have occurred in the Belgian’s search, with Ballard set to arrive if personal terms are agreed and a medical is passed.

The Northern Ireland international has spent the last two seasons on loan at Blackpool and Millwall, appearing 31 times in the Championship during the 2021-22 season for the Lions.

Would he be a good addition for the Clarets though? We asked the FLW team for their thoughts…

This is an excellent signing – particularly for the price.

Ballard has shown with Millwall and Northern Ireland that he is a very good defender in the sense that he’s physically dominant and aggressive. 

Yet, he is also decent in possession, even if it’s an area he can improve, and he’s still very young at 22, so has the potential to get even better.

So, to get a player like that for just £2 million is a no-brainer and you would expect him to slot in easily to Burnley’s defence when the season begins.

Centre-backs were obviously a priority given Ben Mee and James Tarkowski have left, so this solves a problem position and gives the Clarets a player who could be key to the team for the years to