Burnley’s American takeover set to be finalised

Burnley’s takeover by American investors ALK Capital is set to be finalised and could be completed as early as Thursday, the PA news agency understands.

ALK’s managing partner Alan Pace is in Lancashire putting the finishing touches to a deal that would see the Delaware-based group assume control of the Clarets.

Final approval is still required from the Premier League before an announcement can be made but it is understood that the majority of the application has already been reviewed and no problems are anticipated.

Mike Garlick, the long-standing Burnley chairman and owner of just under 50 per cent of the club’s shares, is set to stay on in a yet-to-be-confirmed role behind the scenes with Pace eager to oversee a smooth transition rather than a radical revamp at Turf Moor.

As such, ALK’s next priority is a sit down with manager Sean Dyche, who can expect fresh support in the January transfer window.

Dyche insisted after Tuesday night’s victory over Sheffield United that he had no knowledge of the deal but moves are already under way by the new ownership to bring him up to speed on their future plans for Burnley.

Of the 13 players Dyche used against the Blades, only Dutchman Erik Pieters hails from outside the United Kingdom or Republic of Ireland, and one result of the change in ownership could be an expansion of the club’s scouting and transfer network.

Back in August ALK invested in two London-based football technology firms – AiScout and Player LENS. Both companies are involved in data analytics and predictive assessment of players.

Speaking at the time Pace, former CEO of Real Salt Lake in Major League Soccer, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated professional football’s need to embrace new technology and digital solutions, particularly in areas like scouting and recruitment, which have previously relied on human manpower and traditional forms of communication and negotiation.”

Commenting on Tuesday night on the likelihood of adding to his injury-reduced squad in the coming weeks, Dyche offered a cautious take.

“If there are things in the market we think we can align, we will. If there’s not we’ll keep operating with the group we’ve got,” he said.

“If you’ve got money available to spend you can only spend it on the players that are available. If they are the right players, you do it. If they’re not the right players I’ve never seen the point of it… just stay with what you’ve got.”