Chelsea deal can help Burnley avenge past Ian Maatsen mistake: View | OneFootball

Burnley have secured a potential bargain and they could avenge their previous mistakes 🔵

Burnley made a lot of mistakes both on and off the pitch last season as they were relegated from the Premier League with relative ease to return to the Championship at the first time of asking - but there is one mistake, in particular, they're looking to avoid making again with the loan signing of Chelsea's Bashir Humphreys.

The Clarets spent over £100million in last summer's transfer window to record by far their biggest spending ever, and with expectations high throughout the fanbase after a superb second-tier campaign under Vincent Kompany the year prior, top-half predictions were abound - in which they failed spectacularly with a 19th-placed finish.

Recruitment simply wasn't spent in the right areas, with a plethora of wingers signed and forgotten about whilst other positions were left abandoned - including left-back, with Kompany failing to introduce anyone in that area. And, having had Ian Maatsen on loan from Chelsea the season prior, creativity from that side of the pitch was kept at a minimum.

Burnley have learned from their mistakes over Ian Maatsen failure

The Clarets did try for Maatsen on a permanent deal, with the left-back eventually turning down a move to Turf Moor on deadline day after being afforded chances at Chelsea in pre-season and at the start of the Premier League campaign, leaving a sour taste in the mouth of fans. But they will be hoping to avoid a Stamford Bridge snub once again and have smartly taken steps to avoid that with the signing of Humphreys by inserting an option-to-buy clause into his contract should they be promoted to the top flight.

Humphreys spent last season on loan at Swansea City, impressing somewhat in the Championship with his recovery pace and quality on the ball being well suited to Luke William's mantra. He made some outings for the Blues in pre-season but after it became apparent that he wasn't going to fit into Enzo Maresca's plans, a move elsewhere was sought.

Burnley were not the only club in the race for his signature but last weekend saw the Clarets make their move to sign the defender - and with Ameen Al-Dakhil being heavily touted with a move away from the club and Dara O'Shea looking like he will be on his way back to the Premier League, a loan move for Humphreys was wrapped up in a similar fashion to Maatsen.

How many minutes the youngster is set to garner remains to be seen, though the prodigy will be aiming to become a starting figure under Scott Parker and if he can display his talents for a side that are thought to be challenging for the title, his value will rise if he can be part of a promotion-winning side.

Why a solid Humphreys campaign will reap rewards for Burnley

That has positives for Burnley and it will be a chance at avenging the past to avoid a déjà vu scenario. Maatsen, of course, played a pivotal role in Burnley going up, scoring five goals and assisting five in the second tier to showcase his talents despite a loan spell at Coventry City the year prior.

Burnley perhaps didn't envisage how well the Dutchman would do and failing to insert a figure to activate at the end of his loan spell became a nightmare for them. The club had failed to bid for his services throughout the window until deadline day when it became apparent that Chelsea would be willing to sell - though Maatsen turned them down having had a taste of first-team football at Turf Moor.

What made the situation harder to take was that the left-back reportedly wanted to make the switch earlier in the summer though Chelsea were reluctant to sell - before the viewpoints of both club and player switched. The timing wasn't right and as such, Burnley ended up without anyone in that position.

But with their deal for Humphries, Burnley at least are in the driving seat and should he have a superb campaign at Turf Moor alongside fellow defenders Maxime Esteve, Jordan Beyer, and new recruit Joe Worrall, they could make his loan spell permanent to the tune of a reported £12million plus add-ons to make sure they don't miss out on yet another exciting Cobham talent.