Burnley manager Sean Dyche has gone about his summer transfer business well this year and his side have ended it with one final flourish by securing the arrival of Nahki Wells from Huddersfield, the club confirmed on their official website.
The 27-year-old has fallen out of favour at the newly-promoted side following Steve Mounie’s summer arrival from Montpellier for a club record fee, according to BBC Sport, and Burnley had promptly snapped him up.
Who is Nahki Wells?
It’s fair to say that the 27-year-old has taken the long route to the top of English football, starting out at Carlisle United in League One before helping Bradford City to promotion from League Two.
It was during his time in Yorkshire that he began to catch the attention of clubs from the higher divisions, finding the net 18 times in 39 League Two games as he fired Bradford to play-off glory in 2013, and it was his fine individual contribution to this promotion that got Huddersfield’s attention.
This move – which set the Terriers back a club record fee at the time – gave him his first taste of Championship football and he took to it like a duck to water, scoring a winning goal on his debut.
Since then he’s enjoyed some prolific seasons, scoring 11, 17 and 10 goals in the past three years respectively and he was again key in a play-off winning side, helping Huddersfield to the top-flight.
What’s the deal?
Burnley’s official club website have confirmed that Wells has signed a three-year deal, for an undisclosed fee that The Sun have claimed is likely to fall in the region of £5 million. He has signed a four year contract at Turf Moor.
Where will he fit in at Turf Moor?
After signing Chris Wood in a club record £15 million deal from Leeds United a fortnight ago, according to BBC Sport, and with the likes of Sam Vokes still at Burnley, Wells will have joined knowing he’ll play a back-up role.
The one thing that the arrival of Wells will do is fill the void left by Andre Gray’s exit to Watford a few weeks ago, with the ex-Huddersfield man providing different attacking impetus with his pace.
There’s a reason as to why the 27-year-old has scored goals no matter what division he has been playing in – he’ll be arriving in the north-west on the back of scoring 48 goals in 152 matches for the Terriers across four seasons – and his instinct to be in the right place in the box will prove an asset.
What’s the reaction to the switch?
Talking to Burnley’s website following the move, Wells said:
“I have no doubt this is an ideal move for me. I have played at every level besides the Premier League. I achieved that by getting promoted (with Huddersfield) and it wasn’t something that was going to change. I have always wanted to play there. I’ve documented that way back, when I first broke into the game. Now the opportunity is here and I’m very thankful to the football club to give it to me. I feel I can go on and do great things.”
And boss Sean Dyche added:
“We welcome Nahki as another striking option and a player that is different to those we have. He holds a different-skill set and therefore we feel can only enhance our attacking options.”