SEAN Dyche has told all of his players to lay down a marker during pre-season as competition for places in the side against Chelsea on the opening day hots up.

The Clarets face the champions at Stamford Bridge two weeks on Saturday but the Burnley boss has plenty of options after making full-back Phil Bardsley his fourth signing of the summer on Tuesday.

Bardsley, who has joined for an initial £750,000, will challenge Matt Lowton for the right-back spot, while Charlie Taylor, who will cost the Clarets around £5million before add-ons, is providing competition for Stephen Ward on the other flank.

Lowton and Ward were the men in possession of the full-back spots last season, but Dyche believes all of his players have a clean slate at the start of this season, with places in the starting XI up for grabs.

“Everyone has to lay down a marker in pre-season,” the Turf chief said.

“Phil is only just in the building, he had a little bit of a knock at Stoke so we’ve got to make sure of hit fitness, which we will do.

“He’ll adapt to what we do as a group and I think he’s that type and I think he’ll enjoy the demands we put on the players here.

“We want that true competition. You know you’ve got to play well to stay in the team anyway, whoever plays.

“But then you’ve got the competition around you of people who are desperate to play. You need that, it’s healthy for the team and it’s healthy for the club, so we’ve got to continue to find that mixture and we think we’ve done well with our signings so far.”

Three of the Clarets four new recruits this summer bring with them Premier League experience, with Bardsley, Jon Walters and Jack Cork having made over 600 top flight appearances between them.

Dyche is keen to strike the right balance when it comes to his squad, with a mixture of top level experience and players who are hungry for the challenge in the Premier League.

Asked what Bardsley can bring to Turf Moor, he said: “A bit of experience, he gets the Premier League.

“We want competition in that area and we think he can add that competitive edge to the team.

“Slowly but surely we keep adding to the group, we’ve done that successfully over a long period and that’s what we’ve got to do, we’ve got to continue to try and keep pushing the team forward and if that’s development from inside, when players continue maturing and adapting their own game to the Premier League, or if that’s people coming in from the outside we need that mixture.”

The recruitment at Turf Moor isn’t finished yet either.

Although Dyche isn’t likely to add to his squad before Saturday’s friendly at Nottingham Forest, he is keen to bring a few more new faces to the club before the transfer window closes at the end of August.

“We’re still only carrying about 19 outfield wise,” he said. “A perfect scenario is two in every position and a couple of young lads who are pushing.

“We’re nearly there, but we’re not quite there. We’re getting back into good shape, we’re looking at a few options and seeing if we can make them happen.”