Three ideal destinations for Burnley’s Tom Heaton
Burnley goalkeeper Tom Heaton has admitted that he is frustrated due to lack of playtime and wants to keep his options open in the January transfer window, reports the Lancashire Telegraph.
The 32-year-old was a part of Manchester United for seven years till 2010 but did not play a single competitive game for the Red Devils. He spent time on loan at various lower division clubs before joining Cardiff City in 2010.
However, his career peaked during his time at Burnley and Heaton received an England call-up in 2016. He was Burnley’s first-choice goalkeeper for quite a long time and captained the side on numerous occasions. He has made a total of 181 appearances for the Clarets across all competitions over the course of 6 seasons.
However, Heaton was frozen out of the first-team by Sean Dyche following the arrival of Joe Hart this summer and his playtime has been limited to only a couple of games in the League Cup and Europa League playoffs.
Quite clearly, it will be impossible for the manager to fit in Nick Pope, Joe Hart and Tom Heaton in the team as the goalkeepers have international experience. Hence, Heaton will do his career a world of good by leaving Turf Moor in January. Here are 3 ideal Premier League destinations for him:-
1. Watford
The Hornets made a good start to the season with four wins out of four but they have just lost the plot in the last four games. In fact, they have managed to earn only one point from their last four outings in the Premier League.
Ben Foster,35, has done a pretty decent job for Javi Gracia’s side between the sticks but has managed to keep only one clean sheet so far in the Premier League. Moreover, Watford have Heurelho Gomes as their second-choice goalkeeper who has played in the cup competitions but he is already 37, well past his prime.
The Hornets have two ageing goalkeepers in their ranks and it won’t be a bad idea to add Heaton to the squad.
2. AFC Bournemouth
The Cherries have taken everyone by surprise with their scintillating form in the Premier League. Eddie Howe’s side are currently placed 6th in the standings and Asmir Begovic has done a fair enough job between the sticks. Actually, he has been helped out to a large extent by the solid backline lead by Nathan Ake.
Begovic has kept a couple of clean sheets in the Premier League but reserve goalkeeper Artur Boruc has struggled in the League Cup games. He is already 38 and it is the perfect time for the Cherries to snap up the out-of-favour Tom Heaton.
Read More:- Opinion – This 31-year-old Premier League veteran should have received a recall to join Gareth Southgate’s England squad
3. Chelsea
It might surprise a few but it won’t be a wild move by the Blues to lure Heaton away from Burnley. In Kepa Arrizabalaga, Chelsea have the most expensive goalkeeper in the world but they do not have too many quality goalkeepers in their reserves.
Willy Caballero is already 36 and he is prone to making errors between the sticks. His reflexes aren’t that sharp either and Heaton should be a handsome addition to the squad for the cup competitions.
