Burnley must look at Sheffield United transfer situation with envy | OneFootball

Burnley will be envious of Sheffield United's recent attacking recruits amid their current goalscoring problems.

Burnley continued their promotion push with an emphatic 5-0 win over bottom side Plymouth Argyle at Home Park on Wednesday night.

It was a relentless attacking display from Burnley, and they established a five-goal lead before half-time, with Zian Flemming and Josh Laurent both netting twice before Josh Cullen also got on the scoresheet.

The Clarets are now unbeaten in their last 15 league games, and they currently sit third in the table, two points behind second-placed Sheffield United and three points behind leaders Leeds United ahead of their meeting with Daniel Farke's side on Monday night.

While the fact Burnley scored five goals against Plymouth will dominate the headlines, the victory also saw them keep their 19th clean sheet of the season, and they have remarkably conceded just nine league goals all campaign.

Head coach Scott Parker will be delighted with his side's incredible defensive record, but it has come in particularly useful considering their struggles in front of goal, and he may be keen to address those attacking issues in the remaining weeks of the January transfer window.

Burnley's lack of goals could cost them promotion to the Premier League

It would not usually be a surprise to see a side near the top of the division put five goals past a team languishing at the bottom, but Burnley's five-goal haul at Home Park certainly raised a few eyebrows.

The Clarets started the season in dominant form, scoring nine goals in their first two games against Luton Town and Cardiff City, but the departure of a host of key attacking players late in the summer transfer window significantly weakened Parker's squad, and the impact has been clear in recent months.

Taking away the opening two fixtures, Burnley have scored 27 goals in their last 26 league matches, meaning they have averaged just over one goal a game, and if they did not have such a resilient defence, it is unlikely they would be in the automatic promotion picture.

The Clarets have drawn 0-0 on eight occasions already this season, with three of those stalemates coming in the last five games, and although the draws have helped to keep their points tally ticking over, Parker must surely wonder where his side would be if they had a clinical goalscorer to make the difference in tight games.

With that in mind, Parker will likely be looking with envy at his Sheffield United counterpart Chris Wilder, who has been provided with strong backing by the club's new owners in January to bring in a number of statement signings.

Burnley will surely be looking jealously at Sheffield United transfer business

Burnley have brought in three new signings this month, with defender Oliver Sonne, midfielder Jonjo Shelvey and striker Ashley Barnes arriving at Turf Moor.

All three players are solid additions who will be useful assets for the Clarets over the coming months as they look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League, but they are unlikely to significantly change the dynamic in Parker's squad.

In contrast, Sheffield United have re-signed striker Ben Brereton Diaz on loan from Southampton, and they have also brought in Leicester City forward Tom Cannon for an initial fee of £10 million, that could eventually rise to £13 million.

Brereton Diaz enjoyed a successful loan spell at Bramall Lane last season, scoring six goals and providing one assist in 16 appearances, and he proved just how prolific he can be at Championship level when he netted 22 goals in 39 games for Blackburn Rovers in the 2021-22 campaign.

Cannon spent the first half of the season on loan at Stoke City, scoring 11 goals and registering one assist in 25 appearances for the Potters before being recalled by Leicester earlier this month, and to add insult to injury for Burnley, they were said to be interested in the 22-year-old before Sheffield United stole a march on them.

Given their outstanding defensive record, a goalscorer of Brereton Diaz or Cannon's pedigree would surely make a huge difference to the Clarets' automatic promotion hopes, and supporters may be frustrated that owner Alan Pace is seemingly reluctant to back Parker with the addition of a big money striker in January.