Scott Parker may be regretting Burnley decision amid mass transfer exodus: View | OneFootball

Burnley head coach Scott Parker will be concerned as the club continue to sell their key players.

It has been a concerning week for Burnley supporters, with a number of key players leaving the club - and there is potentially more to follow.

The Clarets made an outstanding start to life back in the Championship following their relegation from the Premier League as they won both of their opening two games of the season, scoring nine goals in the process.

However, head coach Scott Parker has seen his squad depleted over the course of the last week, with Dara O'Shea, Sander Berge, Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Anass Zaroury, Wilson Odobert and Scott Twine all departing.

Worryingly for Burnley supporters, that may not be the end of the summer exits as a host of other players have been linked with a move away from the club ahead of Friday's deadline, including the likes of James Trafford, Vitinho, Han-Noah Massengo, Manuel Benson, Luca Koleosho and Wout Weghorst.

Scott Parker issues Burnley transfer update following Sunderland defeat

Burnley's unbeaten start to the season came to an end as they lost 1-0 at Sunderland on Saturday, and after the game, Parker admitted that there would be further departures before the end of the window, while he warned that he only wants to work with players who are committed to the club.

"It’s a big week for us, of course," Parker told the Burnley Express.

"Everyone at the football club is working tirelessly in both aspects to try and bring some players in and no doubt players will be leaving.

"I’ve said it from the outset, players that don’t want to be at the football club and don’t want to be around it, it’s clear that’s not what we’re going to try and develop here.

"I want people here who ultimately want to be part of this and this journey and there’s a couple of little bumps along the way. "Hopefully we can bring some players in this week. Owners and the guys here in the recruitment team are doing everything in their power to try and get players in.

"No doubt certain players will be leaving."

Scott Parker may feel let down by Alan Pace as Burnley departures continue

The effect of the ongoing transfer speculation was clear to see in Burnley's squad against Sunderland on Saturday, with a significantly weaker starting line-up than the previous two games and an incredibly thin bench.

The Clarets' bench included two goalkeepers in Vaclav Hladky and Etienne Green, as well as three youngsters - Will Hugill, Tommy McDermott and Vernon Masara - leaving Parker with limited options to turn to as he looked to get his side back into the game.

Parker confirmed that Koleosho and Josh Cullen both missed the game at the Stadium of Light due to injury, while Ameen Al-Dakhil, Jordan Beyer, Hjalmar Ekdal, Hannes Delcroix, Aaron Ramsey, Nathan Redmond and Mike Tresor were also not involved.

Al-Dakhil looks set to be moving on to Stuttgart if a deal can be agreed between the two clubs, Manuel Benson and Wout Weghorst both want to depart east Lancashire, whilst Wolves have initiated talks with the Clarets for young winger Koleosho, and if the American leaves, then this is the likeliest move to cause the most anger, given Wilson Odobert has also departed for Tottenham recently.

The stretched squad Burnley named on Saturday is in contrast to the situation at the start of the season when they handed squad numbers to 38 players, and while that number needed to be reduced, Parker would surely not have expected to lose so many key players.

Parker spent over a year out of management following his sacking by Club Brugge, but after accepting the job at Turf Moor, he would have felt that he had an excellent chance of achieving a third career promotion to the Premier League having done so previously with Fulham and Bournemouth.

The 43-year-old would have known that departures were inevitable after relegation, but he would not have envisaged the mass exodus that is currently taking place at the club, and it seems highly unlikely that this was the project he was sold by owner Alan Pace.

Of course, there is still a chance that the Clarets will strengthen their squad in the final week of the window, and they have been linked with the likes of Mikey Johnston and Jeremy Sarmiento, but it will be incredibly difficult for them to replace the quality that has been lost, particularly with so little time remaining.

After their comprehensive victories over Luton Town and Cardiff City in the opening two games, and with the strength in depth they previously had in their squad, Burnley had emerged as the promotion favourites in the Championship, but after a turbulent week, there are huge question marks over whether they will now be able to challenge for an immediate return to the Premier League this season.