Scott Parker’s Burnley have submitted a formal bid to sign Plymouth Argyle winger Morgan Whittaker, as per Fabrizio Romano, but their initial approach has been rejected according to Sky Sports.
The 23-year-old scored his first goal of the season against Queens Park Rangers and he will be hoping to match the 19 league goals which saw him selected in the EFL Championship Team of The Season for the 2023/24 campaign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTopZgTPVzM?si=kweHDvMumhWgoYw8
The former England Under-20 international came through the youth ranks at his home town club, Derby County, where he made 32 appearances and scored one goal before moving to Swansea City.
Whittaker had a slightly troubled time with the Swans as he still struggled to get regular minutes in the Championship despite a change of scenery.
The attacker made 37 appearances and scored six goals for the Welsh giants in between two more successful loan spells in League One with Lincoln City and Plymouth.
The Pilgrims re-signed Whittaker for a club-record fee following their promotion to the second tier at the start of last season and the number ten more than repaid the faith shown in him.
The Englishman scored 19 times and provided eight assists in the Championship to almost single-handedly fire Argyle to survival as they finished in 21st place and just one point above the drop.
Wayne Rooney knew that his biggest task this summer would be to keep Whittaker at Home Park and it looked to be going well as Argyle were able to rebuff bids from the likes of Rangers earlier in the window.
However, Burnley have had their wide ranks torn apart recently as Johann Berg Gudmundsson, Anass Zaroury and Wilson Odobert have left the club whilst Luca Koleosho’s situation remains uncertain after the 19-year-old was left out of the match-day squad last weekend.
These departures, combined with injuries to Mike Tresor and Nathan Redmond, meant that Scott Parker lined up with Vitinho and Andreas Hountondji on the wings against Sunderland, both of whom would ideally play in different positions.
Writer’s View
From Whittaker’s point of view, a move to Burnley may be slightly underwhelming given that bigger clubs were interested in his signature earlier in the summer. But, a move to Turf Moor allows Whittaker to place himself at the centre of an ambitious project and it would be better for him than sticking with a Plymouth side who once again look to be battling for survival in the second tier.
Although his form somewhat tailed off towards the end of last season, Whittaker would be a fantastic signing for the Clarets. He is proven at Championship level and there is potential for his output to rise even more this season given that he is playing for a stronger team. The higher ups at Burnley should do all they can to bring him to Lancashire.
The next couple of days will be vital for Scott Parker’s side as they look to scramble together more high-quality replacements for players they have lost over the last few weeks.
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