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Who Is This £5million Premier League Newbie That Burnley Are Close To Signing? Here’s Everything You Need To Know

Nahki Wells

Scout Report – Nahki Wells

Burnley are poised to complete their sixth signing of the summer, as reports from the Daily Mail claim that the Clarets have agreed a £5million fee for Huddersfield Town striker Nahki Wells.

The 27-year old is not part of the Terriers manager David Wagner’s plans in their first season in the Premier League, despite having played an important role in their promotion bid last season. The Bermuda striker hasn’t seen a single minute of action this season, with the German tactician bringing in several new faces to bolster his attack. 

And now Burnley are set to give him a chance to prove himself in the Premier League. With the deal imminent, here we take a closer look at who Nahki Wells is and what will he be offering to the Lancashire club.

Football Background 

Born on 1 June 1990, in Hamilton, Bermuda, Wells started his footballing journey with the Dandy Town Hornets back in his homeland, as a twelve-year old in 2002. Having been offered a trial at AFC Ajax as a youngster, he impressed at the Dutch outfit and was even offered a contract, but he rejected it in favour of continuing with Dandy Town Hornets and broke into their first-team in 2009, finishing that season with an impressive tally of 20 goals. 

Following a successful initiation, he was snapped up by Bermuda Hogges in 2010, for whom he played 9 times, scoring twice, before moving to England to join the Richmond International Academic & Soccer Academy based out on Leeds and represented local non-league club Eccleshill United the same year. After having undergone a successful trial with Carlisle United in December 2010, he joined the club on a short-term deal in January 2011, but was released in May that year, after just three appearances.  

The striker was handed a trial by Bradford City in July 2011 and after being impressed, the club signed him up on a year’s deal with an option to extend it further by another year. Having made his debut for Bradford City on the opening day of the 2011-12, Wells went on to score 12 times in 37 games for the then-League Two outfit. 

He signed a new three-year deal with the club in September 2012 and starred in his second season, netting a brilliant 30 goals and 8 assists in 57 games. His impressive form continued in the 2013/14 campaign, as he netted an impressive 15 goals in 21 games, before Huddersfield signed him in January 2014. Wells managed to find the back of the net 7 times in 22 games in the second half of the season for his new club.

The 27-year old scored 32 goals in 84 outings in the 2014/15 and the 2015/16 campaigns combined, before playing an important role last season, with 10 goals and 3 assists in 47 outings, as the Terriers achieved promotion to the Premier League via playoffs. He hasn’t kicked a ball this term for the Terriers. 

Having made his debut for the Bermuda national team way back in 2007, he has played 9 times, scoring 5 goals. 

Style Of Play 

Primarily a centre-forward, who has also been used on the left-hand side of the attacking line on a few occasions, Wells is known for the pace that he possesses and his ability to run the channels and play on the defenders’ shoulders. 

A prolific goal-scorer throughout his career, Wells is a good finisher and a more than decent dribbler of the ball. The Bermudian also has that eye for a pass in behind the defence, in order to set his teammates through on goal. Technically sound, the 27-year old can find the target from distance as well and can cause troubles to the backline, drifting out wide and then cutting inside at speed.

Not the tallest or the most robust physically, Wells isn’t that great in the air, but has shown enough qualities to be considered a decent all-round player.  

What Does The Future Hold? 

Burnley have added a Championship-proven striker in Chris Wood already this summer and they are out to add Wells to their ranks too before the deadline. The 27-year old hasn’t been able to hit his best goal tally in the last two seasons, but that has a lot to do with the way Huddersfield played under Wagner.

However, Wells’ track record is there for everyone to see. He might be untested at this level, but will provide the Clarets something different to the options that they currently possess in their ranks. The fact that he is injured right now and may not be fit until late September is another concern for Burnley, but if signed, he can be a more than decent option to come in from the bench in a long season.