"Best centre-half in the league" - Bold Burnley FC claim issued as Brentford transfer agreement nears | OneFootball

FLW's Burnley fan pundit discussed Dara O'Shea closing in on a deal to sign for Brentford

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Burnley have been told that their squad depth means that losing Dara O'Shea is "not the end of the world" as the Irishman looks set to complete a move to Premier League side Brentford.

O'Shea, who joined the Clarets last summer from West Brom, impressed in his side's opening Championship game of the season against Luton Town and found the back of the net in their 4-1 win at Kenilworth Road.

However, The Telegraph have reported that the centre-back is set to complete a deal to join Thomas Frank's Brentford side in a deal that will make the Clarets a profit on the £7 million they paid to sign him 14 months ago.

One of FLW's Burnley fan pundits, Nathan Rogers, is disappointed to see O'Shea leave, particularly after his performance on Monday night at Kenilworth Road, but appreciates that he's a Premier League-standard player, and the club's strength in depth means that he can be replaced.

Speaking to Football League World, Nathan said: "After Monday night’s performance I would be a little bit gutted to see Dara O’Shea go.

“I thought he was one of our standout players on the night. He ran the backline like a general, he kept it tight and was making really good blocks, ushering players around really well, and he actually got forward a few times, getting his goal from a corner.

“He is probably our best centre-half at the club. That would be a pretty fair comment, and early doors this season he seems to have struck up a really good partnership with Esteve.

“If he was to go it would be a tough one to take, but he’s Premier League quality. Should he be playing in this league? Probably not.

“If we can keep him, then amazing. He’d be a perfect player to keep in this league, and he’s probably the best centre-half in the league, by a way, but we do have quite a plethora of centre-half options.

"We have Jordan Beyer. He’s probably the ideal replacement and is on a par with O’Shea in terms of ability. The only concern with him is he’s quite fragile, and he can only manage a short run of games before his body breaks down so if he’s had a good time away from playing and a good summer, then he could be the perfect replacement. “We’ve also got Luke McNally who had a good couple of loan moves in the Championship and I know Coventry and Stoke have enjoyed his services, so it wouldn’t be the end of the world if we lost Dara.

“It would be a little bit of a blow, but I think our squad would cover us more than enough and someone would step up and take his place."

Dara O'Shea deserves a move to the Premier League

It was a disappointing campaign for Burnley in the Premier League last season, and they made an immediate return to the Championship after a 19th-placed finish, but O'Shea proved that he was a Premier League standard player, as Nathan mentioned above.

The 25-year-old started 32 out of the Clarets' 38 league games, making 33 appearances in total, and he scored three times and registered four assists, showing that he's a useful asset in front of goal, too.

According to Fotmob, O'Shea was in the top 10 per cent of Premier League defenders for duels won (182), and aerial duels won (127), and for chances created (13).

Having paid just £7million to bring him to the club from West Brom last summer, O'Shea definitely lived up to his price-tag, and he's set to make the club a profit.

Whilst it's a blow losing a player of his quality, Burnley certainly have the depth to cope with it, and making a profit on the Irishman suggests it's been a good piece of business from the Clarets.