Championship: Lancashire pair go European in the dugout
bet365 News Team 05 Sep 22
Burnley and Blackburn Rovers have gone continental for their new managers with Vincent Kompany and Jon Dahl Tomasson arriving at Turf Moor and Ewood Park respectively.
Former Manchester City skipper Kompany has been mooted as a potential Clarets manager ever since Sean Dyche was axed and the move has finally gone through.
The 36-year-old has signed an undisclosed length deal and will aim to get Burnley back into the Premier League at the first attempt, following their final-day relegation heartbreak,
Rovers have also gone for a different approach with former Newcastle United, AC Milan, and Denmark forward Tomasson taking over from Tony Mowbray, who was allowed to leave at the end of his contract.
Tomasson's last job was in Sweden with Malmo, where he led them to two Allsvenskan titles.
Burnley can be backed at 9/2 to win promotion from the Championship next season, while Blackburn are priced at 8/1.
Major rebuild awaits Kompany
Many eyebrows will have been raised when Kompany's name was first mentioned as the next Burnley boss, particularly given the club's financial situation and squad profile.
Since relegation, they have waved goodbye to 14 players including captain Ben Mee and star central defender James Tarkowski, who is destined for Everton.
More departures are to be expected, with goalkeeper Nick Pope and winger Maxwel Cornet hot property following the Clarets' demise, while Wout Weghorst has indicated he wants to leave to give himself the best chance of getting into the Dutch squad for the World Cup.
It potentially leaves Burnley with a thin squad and given there might not be a great deal of money to spend, Kompany will have to be savvy in the market.
He could utilise his contacts at City to get some promising loan players through the door, while his knowledge of Belgian football could also come in useful.
Changing the style of football may be in his in-tray too - Burnley were always a physical and direct team under Sean Dyche and it is likely Kompany will want to alter the style to something viewed as more progressive.
Four-four-two has been the stock formation used by Burnley over the years and Kompany did use that more often last season which may explain why he has been selected but getting more goals will be one of Burnley's aims.
More than anything, Kompany will need to prove to any doubters that he is the right person for the job and that the Burnley board have not simply opted for a "big name".
He has done well with Anderlecht given the circumstances, guiding them to fourth and then third in his two years as a permanent, full-time manager.
However, the prospect of managing in England was clearly too good for Kompany to turn down and he will eagerly await who his new side face on the first day of the Championship season.
Rovers go left-field with Tomasson
Tony Mowbray may not have been perceived as the most exciting of managers, but he did get his young Rovers to punch above their weight last season.
They ended the campaign eighth, six points away from the play-offs with a run of only five wins in 20 matches at the end of the season costing them.
Mowbray had to utilise the loan and free market at Rovers and made some smart moves, with Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke and Wolves wing-back Ryan Giles impressing.
Blackburn often sacrificed possession in favour of counter-attacking, but with Rovers struggling for goals towards the back end of the season, the Rovers faithful began to get frustrated.
Now they have turned to Tomasson, who does bring some pedigree to the job having previously won the Swedish top-flight on two occasions.
He quit his role with Malmo in December 2021 in order to try and pursue new opportunities and now has his break in the Championship.
Like Kompany, Tomasson may have to cope with a limited budget in getting players in and the loan market is likely to be a vital tool for Blackburn once more.
Getting Ben Brereton Diaz back on the goalscoring trail will also be part of his remit with the Chile international struggling for goals during the second half of last season.
He grabbed 22 goals for Rovers last season, but only managed to get three of them after the New Year with Blackburn's dip in form coinciding with their star forward's dry spell.
It is a gamble that Rovers have taken given that Mowbray was ultimately a safe pair of hands, but Tomasson's track record suggests something is there to work with.
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