Burnley urged to consider free agent swoop for ex-Man United & Fulham duo | OneFootball

FLW's Clarets fan pundit thinks the pair would be a big help to Parker this season

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...

With the transfer window now closed until January, Burnley could potentially look to explore the free agent market if Scott Parker wants to bolster his squad in the immediate future.

The Clarets had a very busy summer, with 20 players in total departing Turf Moor after relegation back to the Championship and 14 new faces joining Parker's squad for the new season, although two of those were loanees last season in Maxime Esteve and Mike Tresor.

The East Lancashire outfit have had a mixed start to the new season so far, with two emphatic wins to begin the campaign followed up by defeats to Sunderland in the Championship and an EFL Cup exit at the hands of Wolves, and then a 1-1 draw in their clash with bitter rivals Blackburn Rovers last time out.

With that in mind, and the fact that they have two spaces left in their squad list submitted to the EFL, they may still be looking to add some depth in numerous different positions by signing some free agents that are seeking their next challenge in the game.

Burnley urged to consider deal for Brandon Williams for extra full-back cover

Parker moved to sign left-back Lucas Pires from Brazilian side Santos in the summer, and he has has made an early impression with two assists in the first four league games, but is their only out-and-out left-back in the squad as it stands.

As a result, FLW's Burnley fan pundit, Nathan Rogers believes that the Clarets should look to sign former Man United left-back Brandon Williams, who is without a club after ending his 16-year association with the Red Devils in June, having spent the 2023-24 season with Ipswich Town - albeit he did not appear in the second half of the campaign due to injury and illness issues.

“Someone that I think would be ideal for what we need would be Brandon Williams," Rogers told Football League World.

“He would fit our system really well, he’s quite attacking and dynamic, he’s got a British pedigree about him.

“He could slot right into what Scott Parker wants to do at the club. He’s a really good player, especially at Championship level.

“Given his young age, I think there is a high ceiling for him to kick on.

“We could potentially look at our model of buy young and sell high, and I think he slots into that perfectly.

“My only concern would be wages, given the Manchester United factor he might be asking for a fair bit of money, but he is one that I would really like to see."

Scott Parker has had to contend with some issues regarding his wingers over the summer, with the likes of Mike Tresor and Luca Koleosho both reportedly wanting out amid respective transfer interest, but each unable to secure a move away and now left to fight for a place in the Clarets' starting 11.

Numerous different players such as Koleosho, Vitinho, Jaidon Anthony and Andreas Hountondji have been given opportunities on the wings so far this campaign as a result, but Nathan believes that free agent Ivan Cavaleiro, who left LOSC Lille in the summer and featured under Parker at Fulham, should be considered as a potential addition in the coming weeks.

“Ivan Cavaleiro was at Lille last year and is a player that Scott Parker is familiar with," Nathan added.

“He’s a player that has publicly declared his love for Parker’s tactics in the past, the way he plays and how it suits his style of play.

“That left-winger position is something that has become a bit synonymous with the club at the minute.

" We like to put creative, attacking players in there and I think a player like him, with his experience, would really benefit slotting into our team.

“It would help our younger players to potentially learn from him a bit as well.

“Whether he is open to a move back to England though, especially the Championship, I’m not sure."

While Burnley are certainly not lacking in terms of quality throughout their squad this season, more signings are surely set to be welcome given the fact they have left two spaces open for new players in their squad, with the injured Jordan Beyer and Shurandy Sambo both omitted - the latter likely heading out on loan.

A new left-back to provide competition for the untested Pires was definitely needed this summer, but one wasn't signed, and so a player of Williams' quality to add to that depth would certainly be a smart addition.

He is now 24, and has valuable experience in English football with over 50 games played for boyhood club Manchester United at the top level, as well as 17 appearances and two goals on loan at Ipswich Town last campaign, as he helped Kieran McKenna's side to achieve promotion.

Cavaleiro is at a different stage of his career as he approaches the age of 31, and he boasts a number of years' experience in the EFL and the Premier League from his respective spells at Wolves and Fulham.

Craven Cottage is where he played under Parker for two seasons, and they won promotion to the top-flight together in the 2019/20 campaign with the Portuguese winger as a talismanic figure in his side.

If he could rediscover that kind of form after a few tough years at Lille and in Turkey with Alanyaspor, he would become one of Burnley's main creators from either flank.

It remains to be seen what kinds of offers each player has, whether they are from other EFL clubs or abroad, but both could surely be tempted to Turf Moor for this season with the possibility of playing Premier League football again in the not too distant future.