Bought for £12m, sold for £2m: Burnley signing was one to forget - View | OneFootball

Burnley have sold striker Wout Weghorst to Ajax after a disappointing spell at Turf Moor.

Burnley striker Wout Weghorst has left the club to join Dutch side Ajax on a permanent basis.

Much was expected of Weghorst when he arrived at Turf Moor from Wolfsburg in January 2022 for a fee of £12 million, but it is fair to say that his time in Lancashire was incredibly underwhelming.

Weghorst had an outstanding goalscoring record at Wolfsburg, with his best season for the German club coming in the 2020-21 campaign when he netted 25 goals in 41 appearances, and there was hope that he could be the man to keep the club in the Premier League following the departure of Chris Wood to Newcastle United.

However, it did not work out that way, and as Weghorst departs for Ajax for a reported £2 million, which is a significant loss on the fee paid for him two-and-a-half years ago, supporters will no doubt be keen to forget his time at the club.

Wout Weghorst's Burnley spell was a disaster from start to finish

Weghorst made the move to Burnley at a time when the club were sitting in the Premier League relegation zone, and with talisman Wood leaving for Newcastle, there was pressure on him to deliver immediately.

The 32-year-old's goalscoring record in the Bundesliga suggested that he would be more than capable of adapting to the top flight, and his height and physical strength made him seem like a perfect fit for then manager Sean Dyche's style of play.

However, Weghorst scored just two goals and provided three assists in 20 appearances for the Clarets in the second half of the 2021-22 season as they were relegated to the Championship, and he spent the next two years away from the club.

Weghorst has had underwhelming spells on loan at Besiktas, Manchester United and Hoffenheim in the last two seasons, but while he has been unable to rediscover his form at club level, he remains a crucial player for the Netherlands on the international stage.

His most important contribution for his country was in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar when he came off the bench to score twice in the quarter-final against Argentina to take the game to a penalty shootout, which Louis van Gaal's side went on to lose.

Weghorst remained a key member of the Dutch squad for Euro 2024 this summer, scoring two goals in six games during the tournament, and he was introduced at half time in the 2-1 semi-final defeat to England.

The striker's impressive performances for the Netherlands will make his struggles at Turf Moor even more frustrating for Clarets supporters, and some may question how he has managed to secure a move to another top European club.

Wout Weghorst's Burnley exit was inevitable this summer

Weghorst was a surprise inclusion in the Burnley squad in the early weeks of the season, and he even made two substitute appearances in the opening two games against Luton Town and Cardiff City.

Head coach Scott Parker was full of praise for Weghorst, telling the Burnley Express: "All I can tell you is that since I’ve walked into this place, Wout has been nothing but the ultra professional. He’s been an absolute pleasure to be around.

"He’s a seasoned professional in terms of him being mature and his age, so he understands the situation.

"He’s been absolutely superb, hence why he was involved on Monday night. He was brilliant when he came on and wanted to do a job for the team.

"In training every day, he’s been superb as well, fully committed in that sense, so I have nothing but good works to say about Wout."

However, despite Parker's comments, it always seemed unlikely that Weghorst would be keen to play in the Championship, and with constant speculation over his future throughout the summer, his departure was inevitable.

Weghorst is one of many players who have left Turf Moor in recent weeks, with the striker following the likes of Wilson Odobert, Scott Twine, Sander Berge, Anass Zaroury, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Dara O'Shea, Ameen Al-Dakhil and Zeki Amdouni out of the exit door, but of all those who have moved on, he is the one who may be most disappointed by his time at the club.

The Dutchman could have been a useful asset for the Clarets to have in their squad this season, but after failing to repay the club's investment in him, his exit was the right move for all parties.