"I just don’t think he’s right for Burnley" - Claim made as Clarets player seals Turf Moor exit | OneFootball

The midfielder has left Turf Moor after two years with the Clarets, having only featured in 18 league games

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk'

Samuel Bastien’s time as a Burnley player came to an end last week, as the Congolese midfielder departed Turf Moor to join Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard.

The 27-year-old spent two years in Lancashire, but only featured in 18 league games during his time at the club, with the majority of the previous campaign spent on loan at Kasimpasa in the Turkish Super Lig.

Having joined the club in the summer of 2022 from Standard Liege, Bastien started the Clarets’ last season in the Championship as a prominent part of Vincent Kompany’s plans, but went on to play just four times after Christmas as his early promise began to wain.

After being ostracised from the first-team plans over the past 12 months, the midfielder’s move to the Netherlands looks to be best for all parties, as Football League World’s Burnley fan pundit Nathan Rogers attests to.

Samuel Bastien fails to find his feet after Burnley switch

Many Burnley fans would have been excited by the prospect of Bastien when he first came to English football, as he started the first four matches of the 22/23 Championship season after moving from Belgium.

A first goal for the club came in a 1-0 victory over Shrewsbury Town in the Carabao Cup, before a second strike against Wigan Athletic just five days later, although that was as good as it seemed to get during his time in the north west.

From then on, the Democratic Republic of Congo international was lucky to be involved in the matchday squad, let alone get on the pitch, with Burnley fans having to do a double take if they ever saw him in a claret shirt.

With promotion to the Premier League confirmed, Bastien’s place in the squad was cast into ever more doubt, with a move to Turkey agreed last September as Kompany looked to rebuild a squad ready to compete in the top flight.

But despite dropping back down into the second tier, it was decided that the midfielder’s time at the club was up earlier this month, and Rogers believes his departure was only a matter of time.

The Burnley fan said: “I think a lot of Burnley fans could walk past him in the street and not know who he was.

“He’s been very bit-part, he’s not even been in and out of the squad. He was very much in during pre-season at the very start when he came in, and had an appearance against Shrewsbury in the cup, and that was it.

“He had a fleeting moment where he scored a nice goal in the promotion season under Kompany, but that was it.

“He’s a nice little player and seems like a nice lad on social media when he has posted, but I just don’t think it ever worked for him, and I don’t think he could ever match the levels of the players in his position around him.”

Samuel Bastien departure welcomed by Burnley as Clarets culling continues

New Burnley boss Scott Parker [pictured] has inherited the biggest squad in the division ahead of his return to management, with the Clarets currently having 34 players on their books as it stands.

A number of players have rarely featured for the 22/23 Championship title winners during their time at Turf Moor, with their bloated roster a sign of the tricky time the club faced in the Premier League during the previous campaign as the club tried in vain to maintain their status as a top flight outfit.

As a result, players like Bastien will have largely been forgotten about after going more than 12 months without a first-team appearance, and Rogers believes trimming down the squad is imperative before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.

The Clarets supporter continued: “Sadly, it’s come to an end for him at Burnley, but on the flip side we’ve got a lot of fringe, bit-part players that we have got to get of the books.

“We’ve got a pretty hefty squad, so seeing players like Bastien and Darko Churlinov leave, it’s good because it’s freeing up wages and freeing up some slots in the squad.