Burnley complete Steven Defour transfer from Anderlecht for club-record £7.5million
Sean Dyche makes Belgian midfielder fourth summer signing Premier League newboys as they fight to avoid relegation
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BURNLEY have completed the signing of Belgian midfielder, Steven Defour, for a club record fee of around £7.5million.
The 28-year-old joins the Premier League newcomers after spending to seasons with Anderlecht.
He arrived yesterday for his medical, and Burnley announced the deal this morning on their official Twitter account — which eclipses the £6m paid for Andre Gray last summer.
Defour admits his is relishing the new challenge.
He said: "I hope I can bring my experience to the team and the club to stay in the Premier League
"I'm looking forward to every game. The atmosphere around the league is fantastic and everyone across the world has seen the Premier League, so I am very proud to be a part of that.
"It is a new challenge for me, but I like that.
"It has been a long few weeks, but I am very happy to be here.
"When I knew that Burnley was interested, I took some time to look into the club and I saw some interesting stuff.
"I also called a friend of mine who plays at Brentford and he told me Burnley was the best team in the Championship and that it would be a really good choice for me."
Manager Sean Dyche admitted he was thrilled to have brought in a player with Champions League and international experience.
He added: "Steven was a target of ours and it's been a hard deal to do, but we got there in the end.
"He's a good player with a depth of experience at international level and also Champions League.
"Steven is new to the Premier League but has a real thirst and desire to be successful in this campaign."
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Defour was once a target for Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.
Back in 2009, the midfielder — then 21 — broke his foot while in action for Standard Liege, and the legendary Scot sent him a letter wishing the player all the best in his recovery.
Defour looked to be on the road to glory when, just a year earlier — playing alongside the likes of Marouane Fellaini — he led Standard to their first league title in 25 years and won the Belgian Golden Shoe at the end of the season.
He had also been named captain at the tender age of 19.
In 2011, he joined Portuguese giants, Porto, for around £5m.
Defour’s form and he was sent off as his side crashed out of the Champions League after a 2-0 loss against Malaga in his second season.
Anderlecht pulled off a coup when they brought the midfielder back to Belgium in 2014.
And he famously caused controversy in his a match against Standard.
Fans of his former club held up a massive banner depicting a man holding a chainsaw in one hand and Defour’s severed head in the other — accompanied by the words “Red of Dead”.
The midfielder reacted by deliberately kicking the ball into the crowd and he was given his marching orders.
His poor disciplinary record isn’t just limited to his club career.
Defour was also sent off in his only appearance at a World Cup finals — Belgium’s 1-0 win over South Korea in 2014.
Marc Wilmots omitted Defour from his 23-man Euro 2016 squad.
