Kompany ready for Burnley challenge

Manager confident he can oversee a successful rebuilding job with Clarets

LONDON:

Burnley manager Vincent Kompany insisted on Friday he is ready for the challenge of rebuilding his new team after their relegation from the Premier League.

Former Manchester City captain Kompany is back in English football after being hired by Burnley last week.

The Belgian faces a tough test at Turf Moor after leaving his first managerial role with Anderlecht in May.

The financially-troubled Clarets have lost key players Ben Mee, James Tarkowski and Nick Pope since the end of last season.

There is also uncertainty over the futures of Nathan Collins, Maxwel Cornet and Wout Weghorst.

But Kompany, who won the Premier League four times in 11 years as a City defender, is confident he can oversee a successful rebuilding job at Burnley.

"It goes with the potential drop in revenues when you fall out of the Premier League," Kompany told reporters at his inaugural press conference.

"You always have to expect some of your valuable players to move on but it is a team with some experienced players and a depth of quality, certainly for the Championship.

"We are looking forward to bringing in some exciting players and hopefully in the next 24-48 hours we can start making the first announcements."

Kompany may not have a big transfer budget as a significant portion of a £65 million ($79.7 million) loan taken out by Burnley's owners ALK Capital is due to be repaid.

The 36-year-old is undeterred, saying: "It is just how open the chairman, ownership and other people were that convinced me to come to the club.

"The ambition is always, as you come down, to go back up but the reality is if it doesn't happen we are in a very calm position because we know what to do with the debt. We know how to create value, how to grow the club."

One of Kompany's first tasks will be to lift the squad's morale as they face up to a first season in the second tier since 2016.

"That is the hardest part, how quickly you can turn it around, especially when you have got new players and new ideas coming in and still a little bit of uncertainty," he said.