‘Walters Waltzes into Turf Moor’. Yes, that is the transfer story on the official Burnley website, as modern day Stoke City hero and their record Premier League goal scorer Jonathan Walters signed a 2 year deal with Burnley for an undisclosed fee.
Jonathan Walters becomes Burnley’s second summer signing after full-back Charlie Taylor joined from Championship side Leeds. After seven seasons with Stoke City, whom he had signed with from Ipswich in the summer of 2010, the 33 year old Ireland international joins defenders Stephen Ward and Kevin Long, and midfielders Jeff Hendrick and Robbie Brady at Turf Moor, meaning he Clarets now have five Republic of Ireland internationals in their squad.
Fantasy Football Potential
Jonathan Walters has scored 62 goals in 269 appearances for the Potters over 7 seasons. He also holds a club record of scoring 43 times in the Premier League during that time. Since strikers are primarily judged on their return in front of goal, Walters doesn’t fare too well in that department, having found double figures just once in the 17 league seasons he has contested (2007/08). He has never scored more than eight in a single top-flight league campaign.
In 2016/17 campaign, he played 23 Premier League games for Stoke City, starting 13 of them, scoring 4 times and assisting twice during the season. In total he played for 1,304 minutes. His key passes numbered 12, while accurate passes were 189 in total amounting to 57%. He had 12 shots on target also amounting to 57%.
For a 33 year old, entering the twilight of his career and one who dragged himself up from the depths of non-league football to the Championship before travelling an even greater distance, perhaps, to turn himself into a player of genuine Premier League international pedigree; he didn’t fare badly. He stepped up whenever the younger stars were injured or when experience had to be called upon to get a point or two.
His primary position is on the right wing, though he can equally play as effectively as a secondary striker or centre forward. He had become more of an impact substitute player in recent times, who could be called from the bench to change the game when the going got tough.
Clarets striker Andre Gray’s is rumoured to be moving away in a £15 million deal to fellow Premier League side West Ham, which could potentially be a blessing for Walters, as he wishes to get more playing time at this stage of his career. He could be priced somewhere in the region of 5.0m to 5.5m, enabling fantasy managers to grab him as a 5th midfielder, saving on money, yet getting a reliable 2+ pointer.
If you have enjoyed this early view of the fantasy potential of those moving teams this transfer window, be sure to check the others here.
Written by Devdeep Dutta (@devdeepdcube)
