Burnley take 50/50 risk with signings since we don’t spend too much, admits Sean Dyche

Few have expected Burnley or former Watford manager Sean Dyche to do this well with the Clarets one of the outsiders for a European spot this season. They sit in tenth place but are only four points off seventh place Arsenal with just one loss in their last five games. That came to former Premier League champions Manchester City with draws against Tottenham and Newcastle before that and it allows them to dream of European football.

However, since the restart, Dyche’s squad has been severely depleted thanks to injuries and contract issues but that shouldn’t take away from the good work they’ve done. The likes of James Tarkowski, Michael Keane, Tom Heaton, Ben Mee, and a catalogue of others have all thrived. That doesn’t include youth products like Dwight McNeil and a few others but Dyche admits that it’s all a gamble. The Burnley boss revealed that since the Clarets don’t spend a lot, he does run the run a 50/50 risk although they try and turn that in their favour.

"If you want to really, really jump, you've got to be looking at the £25m mark. I don't think this club will do that. So, therefore, we are always in this lower bracket anyway. As a club that doesn't want to put money out there and hope, we have to try and make the signings that are edging towards 'these are going to work,' rather than a 'right let's just wait and see if he works, we'll just take them anyway,' which some clubs do," Dyche told Sky Sports.

"They go on a 50/50 risk with signings, whereas we've got to try and make it 70/30 in our favour. So that's where it gets tricky and difficult. I think it's an enjoyable challenge because it's something I believe in, and always have done. When I first went into coaching with the Watford Under-18s, my main aim was to give them more than I had received in my career. I thought if I could give them more, and they develop, that is the key. And I strongly believe that as a manager now."