Burnley will be playing Premier League football once again next season after they finished second in the Championship to secure promotion back to the big time.
The Clarets finished on a staggering 100 points in the second tier, somehow only finishing second to Leeds United, and are now preparing to build a squad that can avoid an instant relegation from the top-flight.
Scott Parker will need to make some big and tough decisions on players who will leave Turf Moore, and ones who will come in, and one star whose future is uncertain at the moment is Ashley Barnes.
Why Ashley Barnes could be released this summer
The veteran striker signed for the club from Norwich City in the January transfer window and put pen to paper on a deal until the end of the season, which means that his current contract is due to expire at the end of next month.
Speaking ahead of the final game of the season, Parker was asked if a decision had been made on the striker: “Not at the moment, no.
Transfer Focus
Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.
“We’ve not really discussed in great detail next year or certainly how it would look in terms of players’ contracts. We’ve got one game left and that’s been the main focus.
“But Ashley Barnes has been incredible since he’s come in and there’s an opportunity for him at the weekend as well, depending on the decision I make.”
In the weeks since those comments, there has still not been any official confirmation of his release or a new contract, but his limited impact on the pitch could mean that they look elsewhere ahead of a Premier League season.
Barnes ended the campaign with one goal in 21 appearances, including two starts, in the Championship, and the Clarets have been linked with a striker who could be the next version of the veteran forward, George Hirst.
Why George Hirst could be the next Ashley Barnes
Burnley and Leeds are both reportedly interested in signing the Ipswich Town centre-forward after their relegation from the Premier League has already been confirmed, and he could be Barnes 2.0
Barnes joined the Clarets from Brighton at the age of 25, having come up through the lower leagues in League One and the Championship, and went on to score 42 goals in 200 Premier League games for the club.
Like the Burnley icon, Hirst has worked his way up the EFL. He played in League One for Portsmouth and Ipswich and the Championship with Blackburn Rovers and the Tractor Boys, before his first taste of regular top-flight football at the age of 25/26 this season.
Appearances
25
23
Minutes per game
24
35
Goals
3
1
Assists
1
0
Ground duel success rate
33%
34%
Aerial duel success rate
59%
44%
As you can see in the table above, Hirst’s form for Ipswich this season in the Premier League has been more impressive than Barnes’ last outing in the top-flight with the Clarets in the 2021/22 campaign.
These statistics also show that the striker, who was described as “unique” by Kieran McKenna, has the physical attributes to be a Barnes-esque figure for Burnley, particularly with his strength in the air to win flick ons and compete with opposition defenders.
Parker has struck gold on Burnley star who's worth more than Brownhill
Burnley will hope this star can settle into Premier League life well after an impressive debut season at Turf Moor.
ByKelan SarsonMay 23, 2025
Hirst, who has scored three goals from 2.13 xG, has the potential to combine physical and technical attributes to be an effective centre-forward at Premier League level if he can kick on with regular minutes, as he only averaged 24 minutes a game behind Liam Delap.
That is why Parker could unearth Burnley’s next Ashley Barnes by signing the experienced striker, who has done the hard work in the lower leagues and could now be given a chance to really show his quality at the top level.
