It may pay for Clarets to bide their time in the transfer market

On the plus side, Burnley's coffers will be boosted by a record £1.25m. In a depressed transfer market, the club have done well to make what amounts to a £250,000 on the player, plus any add-ons which will take fee higher.

Oh, and we also got the not inconsiderable bonus of seeing Paul Jewell's nose put out of joint.

It's not all good news, of course. Burnley have lost their captain, their free-kick and penalty specialists, their goal-scorer, their match-winner and their best player.

The question now on supporters' lips is, where do we go from here? Well, the squad clearly needs bolstering yet Steve Cotterill has insisted he will not be making big money signings with any cash which may come his way.

In his own words he is more likely to, "beg, steal or borrow" players, which suggests loans rather than permanent signings are more likely to come through Turf Moor's in door.

If that is the manager's game plan, there is sound logic behind it. Any clubs Cotterill will approach about players will be aware of the Clarets' windfall and will raise their price accordingly. Given that the club is hardly awash with cash, the gaffer cannot afford to be wasteful. Every penny has to count.

Another compelling reason to keep the money in the bank is the league table. Burnley currently lie in 11th place on 39 points. Realistically, they will not mount a play-off challenge -- although following Monday's excellent win over Stoke, the Clarets find themselves with two games in hand, six points off the play-offs and a theoretical £1.25m to spend, so I may be wrong -- yet equally with only 11 points needed between now and May to avoid relegation, nor are they likely to be drawn into a dogfight.

In which instance, why not wait until the summer and see which players are available for free, rather than dive in now and pay over the odds?

Meanwhile, the Clarets have a shot at glory on Friday evening as Liverpool and the Sky cameras roll into town.

The pundits have Liverpool in the fourth round already. But with Liverpool likely to field a weakened team to face an obdurate Burnley side buoyed by back-to-back wins and clean sheets, it may not be such a foregone conclusion.

Every penny must count for Clarets