“Flourishing next season” – £5m Burnley FC, Nottingham Forest deal tipped to pay off | OneFootball

It hasn’t been the dream start to life at Burnley for Joe Worrall

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Burnley looked to have bagged a strong signing when they convinced defender Joe Worrall to join from Nottingham Forest.

The Clarets stumped up around £5m for the transfer, according to The Athletic, but it has not been the dream start at Turf Moor for the 28-year-old.

He’s managed just six appearances in the Championship so far for Scott Parker’s side, with the club in incredible defensive form.

We asked our Burnley Fan Pundit, Will, whether he thinks Worrall has been a worthwhile signing based on his first few months.

Joe Worrall must be given time to prove himself at Burnley

Speaking to Football League World, Will said: “Worrall was a weird one, because obviously we had Maxime Esteve, Jordan Beyer we didn't think would take this long to come back from injury and the squad was being absolutely ripped up by clubs in the Premier League, poaching our best players.

“To have someone of that experience in the Championship and with Premier League experience behind him, I was really, really pleased with Worrall at the time.

“I think the one thing that sort of stunted him as such is the emergence of CJ Egan-Riley. You're not getting into a back four, that has 23 clean sheets from 34 games, you’re just not going to do that.

“So, I feel a bit sorry for him but every time he's played, I've been impressed, towards the start of the season and yeah, he had a broken foot so it’s not really been his season.

“But there's no reason to believe that it won't be a worthwhile signing at only £5m as well.

“He's got experience in Turkey, experience in the Scottish Premiership, the Premier League and vast amounts in the Championship, including a promotion.

“So, I think over time, it'll prove to be worthwhile. It's hardly the biggest outlay possible, so yeah, hopefully, he can be either a squad player for us or if we don't go up and the likes of Esteve and Egan-Riley leave, then I could see him flourishing next season.”

Joe Worrall does not need to rush

As Will outlines, there’s no need for any knee-jerk decisions when it comes to Worrall at Burnley.

It isn’t, of course, the start that any of the parties would have been aiming for when he signed in the summer, but he signed a four-year deal on arrival, so there’s plenty of time left yet.

Will also alludes to the ever-changing picture at Turf Moor. In just the last two seasons, the club has had two managers with two differing styles in two different leagues.

Hovering around the automatic promotion spots again, it could be three changes of league in three seasons.

Burnley’s almost ridiculous defensive run means that players like Worrall on the sidelines are not going to get much of a look in, with Parker not wanting to change a winning formula, but moving parts elsewhere in terms of changing divisions and emerging players means Worrall will undoubtedly get his chances, even if there’s a little wait for them to come along.

It's not been an ideal first season for Worrall, but with the experience he brings and the length of contract he’s on, there’s sure to be moments on the way for him to show his importance to Burnley.