"Way off it" - Demand sent to Burnley's Luca Koleosho and Lyle Foster | OneFootball

FLW's Clarets fan pundit wants to see more from both Luca Koleosho and Lyle Foster

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...

Lyle Foster and Luca Koleosho have each been identified as two players that most need to improve at Burnley right now as the Clarets chase automatic promotion back to the Premier League under Scott Parker.

Burnley are on track to take the race for a top-two finish to the wire this term, with just two points between them and Leeds United and Sheffield United in first and second place.

Boss Parker has relied on a strong defensive unit to guide his side into promotion contention so far, but his players have begun to flex their attacking muscle in recent weeks with comprehensive wins over Sheffield Wednesday and Luton Town.

Foster and Koleosho are two players in his forward areas who have flattered to deceive up to now, and both have fallen down the pecking order in attack despite being regular starters in the early stages of the campaign.

Clarets fan pundit calls on Lyle Foster and Luca Koleosho to improve

South African international Foster was widely predicted to be one of Burnley's key players this season, after he impressed in 2023/24 despite their dismal Premier League campaign, but he has started just 19 league games so far, with two goals and four assists to his name amid knee injury issues.

Koleosho was similarly forecasted to be an important player in the Championship this term, yet he has also not had the kind of impact that he would have desired in their promotion push, with just two goals in 26 second-tier appearances up to now.

The USA-born Italy youth international has played just once since late January due to a mixture of injuries and other players being picked ahead of him, while fellow attacker Foster has started just once in the Clarets' last five league outings.

FLW's Burnley fan pundit, Josh Lucas, has picked out the struggling pair as two players at the club that he wants to see improvements from right now, but he does feel as if Parker's play-style may be a factor as to why they are not performing as expected.

“The players that need to improve desperately are probably Luca Koleosho and Lyle Foster," Josh told FLW.

“They’ve both been way off it this season. Yeah, Foster scored the other night, but it’s as if he’s not up for a fight.

“When things aren’t going his way, he’s throwing his hands up and stuff, whereas, for example, Zian Flemming would try to win the ball back and work hard.

“Koleosho has looked off it, he looks like he’s not played football. He’s not the same player he was last season.

“But, I have to argue that our play-style is very much get in-behind and make the run off the last defender, which, in the Championship, everyone plays low blocks and there is no one staying that high up, so we don’t get the space in-behind, whereas in the Premier League we would.”

Foster and Koleosho have both been linked away from Burnley and may leave this summer

Foster joined the Clarets in January 2023 from Belgian side Westerlo for a reported initial fee of €7 million, and never really adjusted to English football in his first few months at the club, but did play his part in their Championship promotion under Vincent Kompany.

The South African international was entrusted with the starting spot up-front by Kompany in the top-flight more often than not, and registered five goals and three assists in 24 Premier League appearances last term. He was one of the Clarets' most impressive performers despite their poor overall campaign.

His decent top-flight showings saw Ipswich Town register their interest in his services late in the summer window ahead of their first Premier League campaign in 23 years. The Tractor Boys were claimed to have agreed an initial loan deal with a £25m obligation to buy fee for the 24-year-old in August, but talks soon broke down, and he remained in East Lancashire for this season.

Koleosho made the move to Turf Moor on a four-year deal for a reported transfer fee of £2.6m, plus £860,000 in add-ons, from Espanyol in 2023, but only featured 15 times in the Premier League last season, registering one goal and one assist as a knee injury saw his debut campaign cut short in December.

He was the subject of serious interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers in last summer's transfer window, as they had a reported bid of £20m knocked back by Burnley, who seemingly wanted double that fee for the 20-year-old. The likes of Aston Villa and Newcastle United have also been linked with the Italian youth international.

Vincent Kompany jumped ship from Burnley to Bayern ahead of this season, and so it came as little surprise to see the German titans linked with a potential move for Koleosho last November. He has failed to massively impress in the Championship, however, and recent reports have stated that their interest has now cooled ahead of the summer window.

Regardless of formerly interested parties now likely being less interested in a move for either Foster or Koleosho due to their lack of form this season, they are each still clearly highly-rated players throughout English football and across Europe, and so a potential departure for the pair seems feasible in the summer.

Neither look to be enjoying their football under Scott Parker, who is surely set to remain in charge at Turf Moor regardless of achieving promotion or not.

If Burnley were to go up, then it seems unlikely that they would get a chance in the Premier League, and if they stay down, then surely neither Foster nor Koleosho are set to want to stay and grind it out in the Championship, based off this season's evidence. Both players have clear ability and promise, but East Lancashire does not feel like the right place for either to further their careers in the years to come.