Lyle Foster has work to do at the start of this season if he wants to keep his place in Burnley’s starting 11 after an inconsistent year and a half in Lancashire.
The South African striker joined the club from Belgian side KVC Westerlo in January 2023 for a deal that could still rise to £12 million, as per The Daily Mail.
However, a return of just six goals in 41 games has meant that fans are urging new manager Scott Parker to add more firing power to the team ahead of the new Championship season.
The Clarets scored 41 goals in the Premier League in 2023/24, sharing the goals between 15 different players. However, with the competition for promotion looking to be incredibly high in the new campaign, Burnley will need a goalscorer to allow the team to hit the ground running.
Off-field issues have hampered Foster
There have been reasons behind the 23-year-old’s disappointing form while at Turf Moor. Foster suffered an injury that required surgery at the turn of the year, forcing him to miss nearly two months of football.
Alongside his physical injuries, Foster has struggled with his mental health, taking time away from the game at the end of 2023 to spend time with specialists. He returned just before Christmas but scored just twice more before the end of the season.
FLW’s Burnley fan pundit, Ben, is torn over Foster’s position at the club: “It’s a tough one with Foster. I think you know when he was in the Championship last time he was, he was dire. He was really poor. He came in the January window and he just didn’t really do anything.
“Everyone was thinking we’d just wasted £8,000,000 or whatever it was on him. But then he had a pre-season, and then he was fantastic last season, certainly at the start.
“He did fall off a little bit. He had a few injury problems and, obviously, his mental health problems as well, he just didn’t really come back the same player.”
Andreas Hountondji looks to be good competition
Burnley have not waited around to sign more strikers ahead of the 2024/25 season, bringing in Andreas Hountondji from French team Caen on a four-year deal.
The 22-year-old scored 14 goals in 34 league games last term, and at 6ft 2in, he will provide even more height for Parker’s forward-line.
A bright start for the Benin international could spark the end of Foster’s Burnley career. However, his price could be a factor in whether or not he is sold, according to Ben: “I do think we need another striker, definitely. I know we’ve got Andreas Hountondji who scored a goal and got an assist against Newcastle the other day, so he looks to be a decent player.
“But, I’m hoping to see more of Foster this season. I wouldn’t be surprised if we sold him, but I just don’t see us getting the money back.
“I don’t see us getting about £10-£15,000,000 in an attempt to make a bit of money on him. I just don’t see that happening.”
