Ex Stoke defender: Burnley will be a good move for Collins
The possibility of Stoke defender Nathan Collins joining Burnley has grown today with the news initially breaking via the Daily Telegraph’s John Percy.
If he does sign he will be in a squad alongside two former Stoke defenders Phil Bardsley and Erik Pieters, both of whom have extended their stays at Turf Moor into next season, and another former Stoke full back Mike Pejic has suggested it could be a good deal for Collins.
Pejic was a regular in the Stoke side during the 1960s and 70s before moving on to Everton and Aston Villa and now writes for the local newspaper in the Potteries, the Stoke Sentinel.
“We’re in the Championship and we’ve been here for three years. It’ll take hard graft to get back to the Premier League and even then it’s a long way to hold your own again back up there like Burnley, who want Collins, have been doing. And even Burnley, with an experienced manager like Sean Dyche struggled to stay up.
“It seems a long time ago indeed since Stoke were comfortable in mid-table up there. It would be nice to see the Stoke team built on Collins and Harry Souttar together at centre-back, a solid base spine.
“But money talks when you are at this level, balancing Financial Fair Play and a lack of income, and every player with ambition wants to challenge themselves at the top. You won’t want to leave the club where you’ve made your breakthrough but sometimes you have to make hard decisions.
“Collins has shown his ability and potential and Burnley would be a good team for a defender to join, just as Erik Pieters and Phil Bardsley have found out after leaving Stoke. He’s versatile and can slot in at right-back but his main position is obviously centre-half where he can read the game quite well and he’s quite mobile.
“He’s got very good potential to become a decent Premier League defender. He knows when to mark tight, which side to mark, when to drop off. He knows when to hold, when to pass on, he can make interceptions, has good recovery. He has very good attributes across the board.
The speculation today is that the two clubs have agreed a fee of around £12 million with sources suggesting that the deal is now close.
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