Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany has secured a return to English football as the new manager of Burnley.
The Belgian was officially confirmed as Sean Dyche’s permanent successor on Tuesday, though the length of his contract at Turf Moor was not immediately disclosed.
Kompany will be tasked with securing immediate promotion from the Championship next season, with Burnley having suffered agonising Premier League relegation on the final day this term, with defeat at Newcastle coupled with Leeds’ win at Brentford ending their six-year top-flight stay.
His job is made harder by the number of player departures expected this summer, with senior stars such as captain Ben Mee and centre-back partner James Tarkowski leaving on free transfers along with the likes of Phil Bardsley, Dale Stephens and Erik Pieters. Burnley are in contract talks with Jack Cork and Matej Vydra, however.
There were also reports that Burnley may have to pay back a significant proportion of a £65million loan in the event of their relegation back to the Football League.
We are delighted to confirm the appointment of Vincent Kompany as first-team manager.
— Burnley FC (@BurnleyOfficial) June 14, 2022
Welcome to Burnley, @vincentkompany! 👔#WelcomeKompany | #UTC
“Burnley Football Club is a truly historic English side and it is an honour to be appointed first-team manager,” said Kompany. “I’m excited by the challenge ahead.
“I’m looking forward to getting to work with the players and creating a positive, winning team for our fans when we return to Turf Moor.
“I’ve been impressed by the Board’s vision for the club which aligns with my own and I look forward to playing my part as we enter an important season.”
Kompany is an icon of the Premier League, having won a plethora of major silverware including four domestic titles during an 11-year stint at City between 2008-19 in which he made 359 appearances across all competitions.
Kompany captained both City and Belgium with distinction for several years, with a statue in his honour unveiled outside the Etihad Stadium last summer.
The 36-year-old rejoined former club Anderlecht in the summer of 2019 in an intial player-manager role, but hung up his boots a year later in order to focus on managing full-time.
Kompany guided Anderlecht to third place in the Belgian top division this season before quitting in May amid speculation over joining Burnley, who had been under the temporary management of interim boss Mike Jackson since the shock decision to sack Dyche after 10 years in the midst of a relegation battle in April.
“We are absolutely delighted to welcome Vincent to Burnley Football Club,” said Burnley chairman Alan Pace.
“Vincent is a proven leader and I’ve been very impressed with his ideas for Burnley Football Club, his appetite to succeed and his focus on leading the Club back to the Premier League.
“Vincent has shown impressive credentials in leading one of Belgium’s biggest teams back to European football and a Cup Final last season and we’ve been excited by his philosophy, approach and ambition for the Club.”
