Former Celtic star Reo Hatate is having a tough time of things at his new club. Hatate spent the summer pushing for an exit from Parkhead, hoping to land a move to one of the top five leagues, but that move never came.
At the end of the window, he settled for a move to the English Championship, joining a Burnley side that were hoping for a big season in the second tier after suffering relegation from the Premier League.
But the Clarets have had a nightmare so far this season, currently sat in the bottom three, and the weekend saw them lose 4-1 to newly promoted Lincoln City away from home.
That proved the final straw for the Turf Moor board, who desiced to dismiss Nicky Hayen, who was only appointed as the head coach over the summer.
A painfully short statement read: "Burnley Football Club has dismissed Head Coach Nicky Hayen with immediate effect. The Board has taken the decision following a disappointing start to the Championship season."
On the back of that, Burnley have appointed a new Chief Football Officer in Diego Lopez, confirming: "Burnley Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Diego López as Chief Football Officer, the first chapter of a new era for the club. López will oversee the club’s football operations, recruitment and sporting structure.
"The 37-year-old Spaniard joins from Serie A side Genoa, where he was Chief of Football. He brings strong leadership and long experience of identifying and developing talent in a high-performance environment."
Lopez said of his arrival: “I am eager to start exploring the great potential of this club. I understand our mission and I believe in what Burnley can become in the coming years, if we all work in the same direction with full determination. From my first conversations with Alan, it was clear there is real ambition here and a plan to match it.
“This club means everything to the town and its people. I want our supporters to recognise their team in the way we play, the players we recruit and how we represent the club. The work starts now.”
Clearly, Burnley are not happy with their current operation, and changes are being made across the board.
Hatate has been a regular for the Clarets up to now, making eight Championship appearances, scoring once and assisting twice, but this season will not have been what he had in mind.
The midfielder wanted a move to a top-tier club and he is now playing for one fighting for survival in the second tier, albeit it is still early enough for a new boss to come in and turn things around.
Add us as a preferred source on Google