Sean Dyche’s Burnley are 16th in the Premier League table © POOL/AFP/File / Dave Thompson
London, United Kingdom, Dec 31 – Burnley’s new US owners said Thursday they are “fully prepared” to back manager Sean Dyche after completing their takeover of the Premier League club.
US investment group ALK Capital has acquired a controlling 84 percent stake in Burnley after the deal was approved and ratified by the Premier League.
Alan Pace, who succeeds Mike Garlick as chairman, revealed ALK were “very, very big fans” of Dyche and stood ready to give the green light to fresh investment in the squad during the January transfer window.
Dyche, who has been in charge at Turf Moor since 2012, has overseen two promotions to the English top-flight for Burnley, who are in their fifth consecutive season in the Premier League.
“The longevity and the stability of the management side has been something that has been very impactful from our prospective,” said Pace, a former president of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake.
The new chairman, 53, said in an interview with Burnley club media: “We are very prepared to come in and support Sean and the management team.
“We need time to get in and understand what their needs are, what they have been planning for, what the decisions were which they have taken so far and where they are desiring to go to — but we are fully prepared to back the manager.”
Garlick, who had held just under 50 percent of the club’s shares, will remain on ALK Capital’s new board of directors at Burnley.
He said the deal represented a “natural progression” for the club.
Pace, a dual British-American national, is set to take an “active role” in the club, will be moving to the area and aims to improve Burnley’s global standing.
“What attracted us specifically to Burnley had a lot to do with the passion of the fans, the quality of the club and the way that it had been managed, the longevity of the coaching staff and the ability for us to see a path to growth,” he said.
– Long-term focus –
“For us, we would not do anything that is not on a long-term basis — this is not a short ‘buy-to-flip’ opportunity. This is very much something we have a passion for ourselves.”
Dyche guided Burnley to 1-0 home win over bottom club Sheffield United on Tuesday, which leaves them 16th in the table, five points clear of the relegation zone.
Commenting on the possibility of adding to his injury-reduced squad, and speaking before confirmation of ALK’s completed takeover, Dyche had been cautious.
“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,” the Burnley manager 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.”
