CLARETS chairman Mike Garlick believes loyalty is a 'precious commodity' in football, which is why he is delighted to see Sean Dyche sign a new four-and-a-half year contract at Turf Moor.

Dyche has repaid the faith Garlick and the Burnley board showed in him during his first few months in charge and then after relegation from the Premier League in 2014/15 by committing his long-term future to the club.

Having already spent over five years with the Clarets this new deal could see Dyche pushing a decade at the helm and Garlick believes the stability that comes with the announcement can help the club plan for the future.

"Loyalty is a precious commodity in football. Not just at management level, players, staff, anything, people come and go more regularly than they should at most clubs in my opinion," the chairman said.

“One thing we have always wanted is a stable club, and Sean signing the contract means we can build and plan for the future.

“I think if you can do that, you’ve got a far better chance of success. And – by the way – he has earned it.”

Dyche was linked with the vacancies at Leicester City and Everton in October and November but he remained in situ at Turf Moor.

His success in steering Burnley to eighth in the Premier League could yet attract more admiring glances but Garlick is hoping the new contract will act as a hands-off warning on the club's most prized asset.

“We’ve had a great season so far and with that always comes speculation about clubs being interested in your manager," he said.

“Hopefully, again what we’re doing means we can plan for the future and there’s a big ‘keep-off' sign there with a four-and-a-half-year contract."

Garlick said in May his dream scenario would be to see Dyche in charge for another five years, a desire he repeated at a question and answer session with fans just over a week ago.

He has now got his wish and revealed discussions had been ongoing between the two parties for a couple of months before it was signed and sealed.

"We've been talking for a while and going back and forth and talking about the options and what's best for everyone really," he said.

“Hopefully it’s the signing of the window, or certainly the extension of the window.

“I think it’s a deal that suits the manager, it suits me as the chairman and the board and, most importantly, suits the club."

With Dyche's future secure thoughts now turn to what Burnley can achieve between now and the end of the 2021/22 season.

Already Dyche has guided Burnley to two promotions before securing a second successive Premier League season last term.

The Clarets are now on for their highest league finish since the mid-70s, but just like his manager Garlick is steering clear of any bold claims, instead prioritising yearly progress over five-year plans.

"All we want to do is try and improve every season and improvement doesn't always mean you go forward in position," he told Clarets Player.

"It just means that some of the players just under the first team are improving, so the whole thing is moving forward but you don't see it in the league position.

"I think we saw that when Sean came in towards the end of his first season and we were moving forward but it wasn't reflected in a lot of the results in that time. Good things take time.

"If we're still in the Premier League in five years time that will be a magnificent achievement and I think we'll be more than happy with that."