SKY NEWS: A tragic car accident this morning claimed the life of a beloved Burnley star.

Burnley: Shock Alan Pace decision involving Vincent Kompany offers bittersweet memories – View

It was a bit of a surprise when it was revealed that Burnley were going to appoint Vincent Kompany.

At the time, the former Manchester City captain had just left Anderlecht and could have wanted another top-flight job, but the Clarets’ chairman Alan Pace managed to lure him to Turf Moor.

Having been relegated to the Championship, the club arguably did well to lure Kompany to Lancashire, even though the opportunity to manage in England was a very good one for the Belgian.

Kompany didn’t exactly enjoy the easiest start to life at the club, with Nick Pope, Nathan Collins, Dwight McNeil and Max Cornet all being sold during the 2022 summer window.

All four of these players were key first-teamers, so replacing them was going to be a challenge.

However, Kompany was given the opportunity to put his stamp on the squad by bringing in quite a few players, and some of these players made a real difference during the 2022/23 campaign.

Manuel Benson, Josh Cullen, Vitinho and Anass Zaroury, who were all signed by Kompany during his first window in charge, were all magnificent during his first season at the helm.

Burnley boss Vincent Kompany on the importance of man of the match Josh Cullen

Burnley made a bright start to life under Vincent Kompany

There was a lot of movement during the summer window and with this in mind, it’s no shock that the Lancashire club didn’t make the best start to the 2022/23 season.

They won just one of their opening five league games, but they were nothing short of exceptional after that.

The Clarets played an exciting brand of football and were the best team in the second tier by some distance, only losing three league matches all season.

Burnley: Anass Zaroury signs extension with Clarets - BBC Sport

One of those losses came in the opening five games and their other losses were against Sheffield United (A) and Queens Park Rangers (H).

Against the Blades, they probably deserved to lose that match with the game ending up at 5-2 in the end, but it has to be said that United were the other team that finished in the top two at the end of that season.