Burnley look set to bring in a first new face since earning promotion to the Premier League, as head coach Vincent Kompany attempts to assemble a squad capable of staying in the top flight.
Are Burnley signing Dara O'Shea?
BBC Sport reports that the Clarets are set to sign Dara O'Shea from West Bromwich Albion after the centre-back impressed in the Championship last season.
Albion need to bring in some money this summer due to their Premier League parachute payments coming to an end, and the sale of O'Shea is therefore considered a necessity to balance the books.
The report states that a deal in the region of £7m is due to be concluded with the player undergoing a medical at Turf Moor.
Where would Dara O'Shea fit in at Burnley?
Burnley have already made the loan signing of Jordan Beyer permanent this summer, signing the centre-back from Borussia Monchengladbach for a reported fee of £13m, but defensive partner Taylor Harwood-Bellis is back at parent club Manchester City.
It is perhaps no coincidence that O'Shea has very similar attributes to Harwood-Bellis, the man he is effectively being signed to replace. Indeed, FBref's player comparison tool ranks Harwood-Bellis ninth on the list of centre-backs most similar to O'Shea in terms of statistical profile, suggesting he would be perfect for Kompany and co.
Both players offer the occasional goal threat (0.05 goals per 90 minutes for O'Shea, 0.03 for Harwood-Bellis); they complete a similar number of passes (82.9% and 85% respectively); while they win a near identical amount of tackles (0.62 v 0.68) and likewise for percentage of aerial duels won (61.3 v 62.2).
Kompany regularly praised Harwood-Bellis last season, though he did suggest it would take time for the 21-year-old to find real consistency with his performances.
"The difference between a young player and an experienced player is usually the amount of consistency you can get in your performances," Kompany said. "That's how you become a centre-half that teams can trust."
Three years older than Harwood-Bellis, and with 19 senior caps for his country already under his belt, O'Shea is further along in his development than the talented City product.
One concern for Kompany would be O'Shea's injury history, having missed 25 games in the 2021-22 season and the final nine games of last season, prior to returning for Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifiers.
However, as then-West Brom boss Valerian Ismael put it when O'Shea recovered swifter-than-expected from the first of those lay-offs: "He has the mentality; he's a warrior."
Ranked by FBref in the top 5% of his positional peers for aerial duels won (4.24 per 90 minutes) and top 10% for passes attempted (65.24 per 90), the £15k-per-week earner looks like the ideal option for Kompany to partner Beyer – or indeed Hjalmar Ekdal – in the Premier League next season.
