Following Dan Burn’s £13m move to Newcastle United, we reached out to our friends at We Are Brighton to get the low down on our new 6ft 7′ defender.
Without further ado, here’s everything they told us, giving us ‘the good’ and ‘the bad’ on our fifth and final January recruit:
The good…
You will not find a more professional player than Burn. He has played plenty of games over the past three seasons but he’s never been what you would consider a genuine starter.
That is no slight on Burn, but more to do with those ahead of him in the pecking order: Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Shane Duffy, Joel Veltman, Ben White… Brighton are pretty well stacked for defensive talent.
Despite that, you know he is going to give 100 percent whenever he steps onto the pitch and whatever position he plays. He just gets on with things and I suspect a lot of that is to do with his route to the Premier League, having played for Darlington and Wigan. He doesn’t take being a top flight player for granted and that is something that Newcastle can greatly benefit from in a relegation battle.
His versatility is well known too. He’s been in the best form of his Brighton career in recent weeks playing at centre back, which suggests that is his best position. Against the right opponents, he can do a job at left back. For a bloke who is 6’7, he’s surprisingly good going forward too which is why he has been so effective at left wing back. A lot of that has to do with opponents underestimating him.
He’s reasonably quick because his stride is obviously insane. I think his speed often goes unnoticed because he’s in the same defence as Tariq Lamptey and Marc Cucurella, who are ridiculously fast.
Burn is excellent on the ball, as any player has to be in a Graham Potter team. He reads the game superbly and the fact he is left footed means that he adds balance in a back four.
There is a cracking video of Burn plucking the ball out of the sky first time away at City a few years ago on his foot and turning Sergio Aguero. Aguero just stands there applauding.
He’s got moments that will make you rub your eyes in disbelief in him, but at the same time he can also have games where he is completely torn apart. Brighton fans love an entertainer (good or bad) and he’s certainly that!
The bad…
He’s not actually that good in the air for someone who is an actual giant. Put him alongside a defender who can head a ball like a Dunk or a Duffy and that weakness gets masked, but if you rely on him to dominate aerially then that can cause issues. It also means he is nowhere near as much of a threat from set pieces as he should be. Dunk, Duffy and Webster are all good for up to five goals a season because of how much of a threat Brighton can be from corners and free kicks, yet Burn who towers over all of them has scored only twice in three years.
He also struggles when exposed against quick and direct wingers. In one pretty incredible game against Wolves when he was charged with dealing with Adama Traore, Burn scored an own goal, gave away a penalty and got booked inside an hour. Potter had to haul him before he was sent off.
I think the most interesting aspect of the move is how Burn gets on under a different manager than Potter. Burn looked like an average Championship player when he first arrived. Potter though has transformed him, including that reinvention as the tallest left wing back in world football. Can Eddie Howe get the same tune out of him, or is it Potter’s management that has elevated his form so much?
Overall, I think it’s a deal that suits all parties. £13 million is a good fee for us, especially as we have so much quality in defence. For Burn, he doubles his wages and gets to live the dream of playing for his boyhood club. Newcastle meanwhile get a player who is a Toon fan and will give it his all. He will have the odd wobble but he’s a shrewd acquisition in a relegation battle – and every Brighton fan will wish him well.
To find out more about big Dan Burn, you can read We Are Brighton’s final piece on the Geordie defender below:
He’s unlikely to play at left back for the Toon..
He will surprise many as to just how good a footballer he is…
BillyTheFish(Quote)
The Brighton fan is talking as if Brighton were a side full to the brim with quality … when they are fortunate themselves not to be in a relegation battle ..this is the only season in the last 5 that Brighton are above Newcastle and by the end of the season that could change..Dan Burn is a very good player just as good as dunk and others
Mike(Quote)