The fairytale has come to an end for fans of The Clarets who watched their side boss the EFL Championship in the 2023/24 season but Vincent Kompany’s tragedy is about to begin.
The former Manchester City captain took over the reins at the club in 2022 after proving to be one of the new-generation player-turned-manager crop of title-challengers at RSC Anderlecht in the Belgian Pro League.
His title winning debut season brought hopes to the fans, who believed that their club could grow past their reputation as cannon fodder for Premier League teams.
Reality hit him quick after his first few games and since then, it has been a struggle to get a section of the fans of the club to believe in him.
They will now be returning to the Championship, going straight down after gaining promotion. Worse still, Kompany, who has apologised for the painful relegation and promised the fans a good time as restitution for his Premier League failure, may be out of the door.
Reports have it that the club’s administration wants to bring in former Arsenal and Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, who is a coach at Birmingham City and is looking for his first managerial role.
They are also considering Coventry City’s Mark Robins after his brilliant season took Coventry to within the FA Cup final. Coventry will be remaining in the Championship for the 2024/25 season but Robins could be enticed by Burnley’s bigger budget and Premier League prospects.
Kompany said to fans via the media following the positive reception they received at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium upon the confirmation of their relegation last Saturday: “They’ve been brilliant.”
“Up there it’s not like we’ve got a choice, Burnley is the community and the community is the club.”
“We know we stick together, we have to work hard. We know it’s not always going to be easy but we will get the rewards for it.”
“We will have the good times again.”
He may not be the one to deliver the good times, with Robins and Cole being looked at. However, he could take his talents to Brighton and Hove Albion or to Brentford, with reports also claiming that both clubs are interested in him.
Brentford want to move on from Thomas Frank while Brighton are weighing up various options to replace Roberto De Zerbi in case the Italian leaves for one of his suitors.
By the summer, we will know if Kompany’s story is a tragedy or the beginning of his fairytale.
