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Despite having not managed there for three years now, Sean Dyche and Burnley are still intrinsically connected in English football.
The 53-year-old manager took charge of The Clarets for ten years, reinventing the club’s image, installing them as Premier League regulars and even getting them into Europe.
Even though he left the club on the brink of relegation to the Championship in the 2021/22 season, there’s still an enormous amount of goodwill from supporters towards Dyche for the overall job he did.
Due to his work, Burnley were transformed from a team that had spent most of its recent history dwelling in the lower tiers of English football to one that almost expects Premier League action.
The club went straight back into the Premier League in record fashion at the first time of asking – securing promotion with seven matches remaining.
Although the Clarets subsequently were relegated again the following season, they look set to return to the top flight again with Burnley breaking yet more impressive records in the Championship.
It can’t be understated how much this transformation in fortunes is still owed to the work of Dyche.
Sean Dyche claims he brought in £1 billion for Burnley
Speaking to Gary Lineker on his The Rest is Football podcast, Dyche opened up about the impact he made on the financial side of the club.
Hitting out at perceptions that he hadn’t done well at Burnley due to the style of football, the Englishman spelt out the exact impact he made: “The first year I went to Burnley, we had a £13 million waiver which we reduced in the first summer down to £9 million.”
“Then we got promoted the next year,” he continued. “By the end of my time at Burnley, the projection of that ten years in the Championship would have been about £150, £280, maybe £200 million.”
“£1 billion we brought in to Burnley, £1 billion in ten years,” Dyche mentioned, referring to the difference in income due to being in the Premier League for that time instead of the Championship.
The former Clarets manager also referred to players he bought for £2 million that sold for £25 million and taking punts on free transfers such as Tom Heaton from relegated Bristol City, his first-ever signing for the club.
Burnley fans react to Sean Dyche’s interview
Since the podcast dropped, Burnley fans have wasted no time in making their feelings clear on their ex-manager.
One fan declared: “Sean Dyche will always be remembered as one of the four greatest managers at Burnley,” while another agreed: “He remains, for me, the greatest ever appointment at Burnley. To be able to compete against clubs with the top world-class players was remarkable.”
Another fan focused on the signings he made for the team: “Michael Keane, James Tarkowski, Nick Pope. Some quality players really cheap.”
However, not all Clarets took his comments positively:
Another supporter believed he had an ulterior motive for his comments in the interview: “It’s pretty clear what he’s trying to do. Fed up of being considered a manager only good enough for a relegation battle.”