Burnley Target Southampton's Fraser Forster as Replacement for the Injured Nick Pope
Sean Dyche could look to current Southampton outcast Fraser Forster to fill a void in his Burnley side, left by the absence of Nick Pope.
Pope shot to acclaim last season at Burnley, keeping 12 clean sheets throughout the season as he helped inspire the Clarets to a seventh-place finish. It was the club’s highest finish since 1974 and it secured a return to Europe after a 51-year exile.
Prior to last season, Pope had been a backup option for Burnley having made the majority of his career appearances in the Conference and League Two. But an injury to first-choice shot-stopper Tom Heaton meant Pope finally got his chance to impress in the Premier League.
Ian MacNicol/GettyImages
After Pope’s outstanding season last year, which earned him a call-up to the 2018 World Cup with England, Dyche had a selection headache ahead of this season.
With Heaton fit again, the two keepers were vying for a starting spot in the side this season before Pope was crocked with injury in the Europa League qualifier against Aberdeen.
That injury will keep Pope out for the majority of next season and leaves Burnley with former Manchester United keeper Anders Lindegaard as the first choice understudy. Given Heaton’s lengthy injury layoff last season, Dyche is eager to add a keeper with more experience before deadline day.
ADRIAN DENNIS/GettyImages
According to the Express, Dyche has approached Southampton about the possibility of taking Forster on a season-long loan. Burnley are only looking for a temporary replacement and feel Forster could fit the bill.
The former England international has fallen out of favour at St. Mary’s, having lost his spot to Alex McCarthy last season. The Saints have also added Manchester City’s Angus Gunn in this transfer window, pushing Forster further down the pecking order.
Southampton are believed to willing to supplement Forster’s £65,000-per-week wages to help secure his future away from the club. The only issue will be convincing the player to potentially swap one bench for another as Forster may want first team assurances.
Lindegaard is set to fill in when Burnley face Aberdeen again for the second leg of that qualifier on Thursday with the scores still level at 1-1 from the first game.
