Burnley 2023/24: Evaluating the internal candidates to replace the electric Luca Koleosho – scout report

Since his summer arrival in Burnley for just £2.5 million, Luca Koleosho has emerged as one of Burnleys most exciting and impactful young players. With minimal first-team experience playing in La Liga, Vincent Kompany has entrusted the 19-year-old with the vital role of being an attacking catalyst, capable of sparking life into the struggling Burnley attack. The terror he has caused to opposing full-backs has stirred up further conversations and debates regarding his international eligibility- with the United States and Canada vying for his commitment to their mens national sides.

In a cruel turn of fate, Vincent Kompany has revealed that Luca Koleosho now looks set to be unavailable for the foreseeable future, having suffered a significant knee injury against Wolves. With Burnley staring the EFL Championship in the face, the future may look bleak for Vincent Kompany, who must now ride another formidable challenge to ensure Premier League survival. Despite the upcoming winter transfer window, we will identify several internal candidates whom Burnley can turn towards to fill the void on the left flank.

This scout report and tactical analysis will begin to identify how significant of a loss Koleoshos injury will be to Burnleys tactics and their attacking output but also provide key analysis as to the new elements of the game that Burnleys left-wing replacements could provide.

Luca Koleosho

Despite his short amount of time at Turf Moor, Luca Koleoshos positive reception amongst the Burnley fanbase has stemmed from his playing style on the field. The dynamic winger has injected an element of excitement into a dismal season thus far, with fans feeding off his direct play and ability to make things happen out of nowhere.

He tends to operate wider on the flanks, using his electric pace and close control to take on defenders and drive towards the penalty area. His 3.05 successful take-ons per 90 and 0.28 goal-creating actions from take-ons highlight just how valuable he has been to Kompanys side. Despite still being 19, Koleosho has displayed attacking intelligence and positional awareness to sustain a large amount of possession within the final third and hurt defenders with his explosive movement. With 5.21 touches in the opposition penalty area per 90, he remains a dangerous presence with the shiftiness to work in compact spaces.

Even though Koleosho is closely graded on his offensive output, his defensive capabilities are also a huge reason why he has been ever-present in the starting line-up. Koleosho has been tasked with remaining resolute in defence, dropping into the left side of their 4-4-2 to stifle opposing attacks. His energetic nature has translated well to his defensive duties, using his pace to cover ground and win the ball back high up the pitch. Having won possession 1.28 times in the final third per 90, he remains reactive and intent on creating turnovers and initiating the counterattack.

Although we have observed attacking intent and direct running from Koleosho, his final product still leaves a lot to be desired. Whilst his ability to progress the ball has been positive, his final-third decision-making is much more representative of a player with his age and experience. Whilst an underachievement of 1 goal from 1.89xG is not too damning, it does highlight that the young wingers end product will look to be further enhanced.

While the loss of Koleosho has painted a ble