Sean Dyche's Liverpool gamble failed spectacularly for Burnley FC | OneFootball

The loan signing of Jon Flanagan was up there with one of Sean Dyche's worst at Burnley

While it was a move that required Burnley to put up limited finances, which meant they didn't lose out too much, Sean Dyche's decision to recruit Jon Flanagan is still one that baffles almost nine years on.

Flanagan moved to Turf Moor in the summer of 2016 to aid Burnley's quest for survival, which was ultimately a successful one, though that can't be attributed to the impact the Scouser made in Lancashire, as he struggled to make inroads in the first team.

Dyche was, and still is in many ways, a man of his way, and what he believes in is what he goes with, which typically meant that throughout his Burnley spell, if you weren't in his first-choice XI then it was going to be difficult to break in.

That worked to his detriment ultimately, as he was dismissed by Burnley in April 2022, but he'll always be remembered fondly at Turf Moor as the man who not only got the club back into the top flight, but also kept them there for six seasons.

Some of his signings at Burnley were questionable to say the least, and although Flanagan didn't leave a huge financial hole in the club, his signing was one of the strangest of his tenure.

Jon Flanagan signed for Burnley with a huge pedigree

On paper, the signing of Flanagan was one that suited Dyche down to the ground - he was a no-nonsense, honest full-back who had Premier League experience from his time with Liverpool, so it was easy to see why Burnley thought it was a good move.

Flanagan shot to stardom in the 2013/14 season when he starred at left-back for Liverpool in their ultimately unsuccessful title challenge under Brendan Rodgers, but as the club moved in a different direction with Jürgen Klopp soon after, Flanagan lost his way.

Dyche swooped to bring him to Turf Moor in a move which promised a lot but delivered very little, as Flanagan struggled to work his way into the back four on a regular basis, with Matt Lowton continuing as Dyche's premier pick at right back.

Stephen Ward was his first-choice left-back, and Flanagan simply couldn't break into the team. He only featured 10 times for the Clarets in 2016/17, and four of those appearances were in heavily-rotated cup squads.

Even when he did play, he did little to suggest he should be playing on a regular basis, which was hard to understand given that just a couple of years prior he was a regular fixture in a side challenging for a Premier League title.

Jon Flanagan's career went downhill after he returned to Anfield

When Flanagan returned to Anfield, he ended up as bit-part player once again, so it was no surprise that he was shipped out on loan to Bolton, and another unsuccessful loan spelled the end of his Anfield career.

After his release from Anfield in 2018, Rangers snapped him up which seemed like a decent move with the promise of playing European football and challenging for silverware, but yet again, the move was unsuccessful.

Like at Burnley, most of his appearances came in cup competitions, and he was released by the Scottish giants just two years later, after which he signed a short-term deal with Charleroi, only to make a single appearance for the Belgian side.

After that spell, and a short stint with HB Koge, failed too, he decided to call time on his career in October 2022 owing to a recurring knee injury.

The downfall of Flanagan will always be a strange one, and it's incredible to comprehend that in the space of seven years he went from a Premier League title challenger to not being able to get a game in the Belgian Pro League.