Why Scott Twine to Burnley is the most exciting transfer in the EFL this summer

Burnley have made the MK Dons attacking midfielder their first signing of the summer.

MK Dons narrowly missed out on automatic promotion from League One in 21/22, as they finished a point behind second-placed side, Rotherham United and three points behind Wigan Athletic, who took the title. The fact that the Dons were able to take the automatic promotion race to the climax of the season was largely down to the form of their star man, 22-year-old Scott Twine.  

Twine scored 20 goals and assisted 13 from his attacking midfield position and looked every inch a player who could make the step up to the next level. However, despite the Dons failing to win promotion, the Championship will feature Twine next season, as Burnley announced him as their first signing since they were relegated from the Premier League.  

The young midfielder is seen as a key factor in helping new manager Vincent Kompany to transition the Clarets towards a different style of play, with the club being known for their defence first style. The Belgian is obviously best known for his time at Manchester City, where he played in a dominant team that wanted to control the ball. He will have a real job to make this transition, given the squad at his disposal, so an exciting attacking player comfortable with the ball at his feet joining the club should smooth that transition in some ways, at least when it comes to knowing he has a reliable creator and goalscorer.  

Here are some stats that demonstrate how Twine will contribute in that way: 

Goal threat from midfield 

Firstly, Twine is a goalscorer from midfield. He scored 20 goals in 46 appearances last season, with those goals being scored at a rate of 0.44 per 90. His previous seasons saw him score six in 18 games for Newport County and seven in 22 for Swindon Town, so he has been a regular contributor in that regard throughout the early years of his professional career.  

He is stepping up to the Championship for the first time but there are many examples of players scoring a significant number of goals in League One and finding that their form continues in the division above, with Ivan Toney breaking the goalscoring record for the division, immediately after joining Brentford from Peterborough United.  

Kompany will be hoping that Twine will be another of those players and it seems likely that he could manage this, as the goals he scored last season demonstrated excellent ball-striking technique and some repeatable actions, as he favoured receiving the ball on the left side of the box before driving inside and firing into the far corner of the net.  

Chance creation 

As well as his 20 goals in 21/22, Twine also assisted 13, at a rate of 0.29 per 90. He was a consistent creator of chances, with 2.4 key passes per 90. Watching back all of his assists, it’s notable how many times he put his teammates in for a one-on-one opportunity with a through-ball. As Kompany wants to transform the team in an attacking sense, he will likely look to sign a striker who is adept at running in behind defensive lines, so that Twine can serve him well with through-balls.  

Set piece ability 

Burnley have tended to excel in attacking set-pieces and - despite Kompany wanting to transform the playing style - they will want to continue being a regular threat from corners and free-kicks. With Twine in their team, they will have the best chance to do that as the former MK Dons man is superb striker of a dead ball.  

He scored six goals directly from free-kicks, whilst also adding another three assists. His delivery is particularly dangerous from the left hand side, where he can whip the ball to the back post with his excellent right foot.  

Can he make the step to a team looking to win promotion straight back to the Premier League? 

Not only is Twine stepping up to the highest level he has ever played at but he is joining a team which will be aiming to win the league or at least come second. Burnley want to avoid getting trapped in the second tier, particularly baring in mind the fact that they are in debt due to a leveraged buyout.  

As mentioned regarding goalscoring, the transition between League One and the Championship is not a particularly difficult one for the stronger players in the third tier, wich Twine absolutely was. In fact, there have been several occasions where teams vying for promotion have signed players who haven’t played higher than the third tier. Recent examples of these which were successful are of course Toney, Ben White & Keiffer Moore amongst others. Given the level of technical ability that Twine showed in League One, he looks a pretty sure bet to be another to add to the list who have successfully made the jump.