BURNLEY have made their first signings of the summer this week and, although it’s not the big name additions we all want, I don’t think you can really turn these deals down, writes Paul Weller.

It’s an opportunity to bring in two good, young players in Nick Pope and Johann Berg Gudmundsson, who have done well recently and on cheap deals.

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I’m sure there are more to come and bigger names to come, but the momentum has started with those two and with Ben Mee and Tom Heaton signing new contracts as well.

The squad are probably pleased to see new signings in the building but I think footballers are selfish, I always remember looking around the dressing room when a player came in and thinking ‘does he play in my position?’

When you realise he’s a centre forward and you’re not you can breathe. It’s a bit selfish at times because from a squad point of view not all of them will be certain of getting in the team.

Come Swansea everyone wants to be in that team, that is understandable, so the first thought will be is he going to be blocking my way or adding competition for that place.

Players just want to play, they don’t think ‘oh I’m being dropped but what a great player is coming in front of me’. They just think that hopefully whoever comes in I can outclass him and not give Sean an option to replace me.

Now we’ve got the first two in this summer hopefully the board can loosen the purse strings a bit.

It’s a catch-22, a lot of people will say you can’t risk the silverware and things like this. But I look at it in a naive way, you’ve just announced a £30million profit, then you get some good money from Danny Ings, then you’re in the Premier League with another guaranteed fortune, then I think you can go and spend a bit.

The board aren’t stupid, Sean isn’t stupid, we’re not talking about signing 35-year-olds on three-year contracts on silly money.

We’re taking about young players, getting the contracts right with something in there to protect the club a little if the worst does happen.

It’s time to compete now, they’ve got to make a real conscious effort now. The infrastructure of the club is really taking shape, it’s come on a lot.

Now it’s time to take shape on the pitch, and if that’s Sean saying to the board ‘come on, it’s over to you’, then it’s time to go out and get the players.