As above, what have I missed that leads a wide selection of posters to imagine(and state) Defour will not be with us for very long.

Not sure if I am imagining this but just came to mind as I was browsing.

Lisbon

Part of it is due to his agent refusing to rule out a move to China at some point in his career.
As a result, they've now decided he was angling for a move in January and when that didn't materialise he's off in the summer.

I think they're called doom & gloom merchants.

He could well be off in the summer, so could a few players, but equally he may decide to stay another season and have a proper crack at the PL when fully fit after a Dyche pre-season.

I think Defour has always given the impression of someone who might just be passing through (which is fine by the way - there's a mutual benefit going on), and there is an argument that in our preferred 4-4-2, he's not an absolutely ideal fit.

Put the two together, and that's why.

It was the agents way of trying to get him back in the team. He couldn't leave in January as he had already played for the allowed two teams.

Transfer window not shut in China yet.....

Would be surprised to see him move to China before our season finishes. I see him leaving at the end of this year. Certainly talented, but not sure if its a combination of not being able to play 90 mins week in/week out in the PL or the fact that he can get loads of money in China. Don't think he has any issues with SD.
He's been great whenever he played this season, and his signing has shown our commitment to bettering our squad.

Its a combination of things. Not a doom monger. Hes too good to be sat our bench but isnt fit enough to last 90 minutes in our system. Hes not a typical Dyche player.

Hes the best footballer we have. But Bartons not far behind and is clearly fitter and more of an all rounder.

Surely every agent in the country is trying to get his player a move to China ?

Even if he goes at the end of the season, it's been great watching a player of his class. I agree he's maybe not the perfect fit for us.

IMO far too much is made of the China link. Not too much going on there now since they've limited the number of foreign players, and he'll be aware now from his friend Witsel that it is basically League One level over there.

He's been fair and square about his future, and being at an age of 28-29, it will depend on (1) the offers he receives and (2) his prospects of being a regular starter at Burnley. Don't forget he opted for Burnley in order to resurrect his career with the Belgian national squad.

By now, everyone will agree that he's shown us the quality which many have been craving for.

Although I'm sure SD rates him, he might not be a typical SD player in the sense of the physical side of the game. He's not a lazy player in any sense though, and I remain of the opinion that he is a 'luxury' (if you can call him that) we can afford as CM (even in a 4-4-2 with Barton).

Lets hope he's still here next season, but if not, I think his transfer to Burnley will prove to be one of the catalysts for Burnley staying up this season.

When fit he should be able to last 90 mins by now - personally I think he's a good player but slightly overrated

Grumps wrote:Transfer window not shut in China yet.....

Can't play for another team this season though.........

I know his wife's sister's neighbours dog walker who definitely says he knows nothing about the Defour situation

HendricksHair wrote:Can't play for another team this season though.........

Does china sign up to this rule or is it a UEFA one ?

He'll stay and do bloody well at Burnley, no doubt about it.

I believe that some of the stories about him being 'unhappy' at BFC started after tweets made by his Mrs criticising the clubs handling of him when he was on the bench a few times. She compared his treatment with that of Hazard! Then he admitted that it was possible he could be tempted by the money available in China. 1+1 obviously equals 5.

claretandy wrote:Does china sign up to this rule or is it a UEFA one ?

Presumed it was a worldwide FIFA one?

bfcmik wrote:I believe that some of the stories about him being 'unhappy' at BFC started after tweets made by his Mrs criticising the clubs handling of him when he was on the bench a few times. She compared his treatment with that of Hazard! Then he admitted that it was possible he could be tempted by the money available in China. 1+1 obviously equals 5.

She didn't make any tweets like that.

Hope he stays, he's a great player. I've not seen anywhere near enough of him. But we have to be prepared for him to be leaving. Chinese club comes in with the money, and he's off. That's not doom and gloom, it's a cold hard fact. Publicly stating that a move to china would be considered is as good as putting up a big balloon with "come get me" written on it.
Maybe he came here to be in the shop window, and he's frustrated that the shops been closed and the shutters pulled down, hence the China remark.
He wants to play every game, course he does. But he can't because in some games, against some teams, he's a luxury we can't afford.

There is no doubt he is a real talent, probably the best I've seen at the club, but he just doesn't suit SD's set up.
It must be very frustrating for him to have to take a back seat, but it's obviously working for the team.

Alternatives are he changes his natural game to suit our style, or more likely he will find a club that suits his.
It would be a great shame for us if he were to go, but as I've said many times there are lots of good players that just end up not clicking in their club. Di Maria at Man U for example.

He's easily able to play 90 mins. Dyche has just kept him fresh so he didn't burnout early.

As luck would have it were comfortable already so don't even need him at this moment!

From his twitter account he seems to be back home over in Belgium. What that would mean is anyone's guess. Injury must be worse than originally thought? He tweeted he's been out to dinner in a restaurant in Antwerp.

ClaretAndJew wrote:From his twitter account he seems to be back home over in Belgium. What that would mean is anyone's guess. Injury must be worse than originally thought? He tweeted he's been out to dinner in a restaurant in Antwerp.

Dyche said he went to see a specialist over there about his injury

ClaretAndJew wrote:From his twitter account he seems to be back home over in Belgium. What that would mean is anyone's guess. Injury must be worse than originally thought? He tweeted he's been out to dinner in a restaurant in Antwerp.

Clearly stated recently that the medical staff sent him to Belgium for treatment to a specialist that they are aware of. Info wasn't part of the Up The Clarets social package admittedly.

Had a nice Valentine dinner at The Jane in Antwerp (was there last year myself and can definitely commend it to the lovers of fine food).

Said in a recent interview he was quite happy how things were going at Burnley, and PL survival would be a great achievement.

Looking to the future, he only said he would like to close his career at his first club, Malines.

OK good
thanks guys
I didn't know about the specialist.

Claretmatt4 wrote:He's easily able to play 90 mins. Dyche has just kept him fresh so he didn't burnout early.

As luck would have it were comfortable already so don't even need him at this moment!

Hes not though else he would. Keane, Mee, Boyd, Barnes, Ward and Lowton and even Barton rarely come off and they cover as much if not more ground than Defour. Hes not lasted 90 in one league game. Even Barton doesnt come off.

I really like Defour, think he is possibly the most technically gifted midfield player we have had in recent times. As with most good things there is a but, but can SD keep him happy with rotation? When you think we may have only two CM players starting and say everyone is fit, two from Hendrick, Barton, Westwood, Marney and Defour certainly is a headache. Selection would be based on the opposition, formation we will employ, home or away etc. Gone are the days of Jones and Marney plus a n other to pick from!