According to a report from Sky Sports, Premier League side Burnley are keen on launching a move for West Bromwich Albion striker Jay Rodriguez.
After a scintillating season that ended with them qualifying for European football, the Clarets have struggled to maintain the same level in the ongoing campaign. After 12 league games, Sean Dyche’s men find themselves languishing 15th in the Premier League standings, with nine points (W2, D3, L7) and just a point above the relegation zone.
Burnley have been uncharacteristically suspect defensively this term but goals have also been an issue for Dyche’s side. So far, the Clarets have just netted 12 goals in 12 league outings, which is the fifth lowest tally in the Premier League.
Burnley invested heavily in a striker in the summer, signing Matej Vydra from Derby County, who was the top scorer in the Championship last season. However, the Czech Republic international has struggled to make an impact at Turf Moor and has managed to score just a single goal in six league outings.
Club record signing Chris Wood, who arrived last year, has also found the back of the net just once in 12 league appearances. Meanwhile, Sam Vokes and Ashley Barnes have scored twice each in the English top-flight – the same number as defender James Tarkowski. Clearly, this is not good enough for a Premier League side hoping to establish themselves as a regular top-half side.
Hence, bringing in a new striker in the January window would be a step in the right direction for the Clarets and Rodriguez fits the bill perfectly. The 29-year-old is an exponent of Burnley’s youth academy and went on to make 128 appearances for the club, scoring 41 goals and setting up 13 more, before leaving for Southampton in the summer of 2012.
Rodriguez endured an injury-plagued spell with the Saints, managing 126 appearances across five seasons, finding the back of the net 35 times and assisting 14 more. Having fallen behind the likes of Charlie Austin and Manolo Gabbiadini in the pecking order, the 29-year-old left the South Coast club to join West Brom in the summer of 2017.
The Englishman managed 11 goals in his debut campaign in 42 games in all competitions but could not help the Baggies stave off relegation from the Premier League. However, he has started the 2018/19 campaign on a strong note, bagging 8 goals and registering 2 assists in 17 Championship outings, helping them to the 5th place in the standings.
A proven goalscorer in the Premier League, with experience of playing close to 150 games in the English top-tier, Rodriguez has been in good form in the ongoing campaign and has what it takes to come in and make an immediate impact for Burnley.
It might prove difficult to prise away the Englishman from West Brom and the Clarets will most likely have to offload a player or two from their squad to make room for him. However, his arrival has the potential to spark a turnaround at Turf Moor and set Burnley’s season back on the right course.
