Burnley sign Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg on Transfer Deadline Day

Burnley have signed striker Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg on Deadline Day for a fee understood to be around £12m.

Weghorst, a 6ft 6in forward who has scored six goals in 18 Bundesliga appearances this season, has signed a three-and-a-half-year deal after completing a medical on Sunday.

The Netherlands international comes in as a replacement for Chris Wood, who joined relegation rivals Newcastle earlier in the window.

Burnley did not expect to lose Wood this month, but Newcastle surprised them by activating his £25m release clause.

Weghorst has taken the No 9 shirt vacated by Wood and will train with his new team-mates on Monday. He is likely to feature in Saturday’s crucial home game against Watford.

In a video posted by Burnley’s official Twitter account, Weghorst said: “Hello Burnley fans. I’m really glad to be here. I’m really happy and I’m really proud.

“I’m really looking forward to seeing you all on Saturday in an important game against Watford.”

Burnley boss Sean Dyche said: “Wout is a player that our scouts have been strong on for some time and we feel that he can add to all that we do at Burnley Football Club.

“His signing is a continued show of the club’s and team’s development. We wish Wout well as he earns the right to push our group forwards.”

Weghorst, capped 12 times by his country, has scored 59 goals in 118 Bundesliga appearances for Wolfsburg over the past three-and-a-half seasons.

He has also scored more than 50 goals in the Eredivisie during spells at Heracles and AZ Alkmaar prior to his move to Germany.

Burnley chairman Alan Pace said: “I’d like to wish Wout a very warm welcome to Burnley Football Club.

“We’re absolutely delighted to have brought in a great talent with a fantastic goalscoring pedigree in Germany. I look forward to him joining up with Sean and the team.

“January is a famously difficult window, as we all know. I am however delighted that a lot of hard work by everyone involved has paid off.”

Weghorst ‘an effective target man’
Sky Sports News’ Peter Stevenson at Turf Moor:

“Weghorst is 6ft 6in so I’m sure for Sean Dyche he’ll prove to be an effective target man as Burnley look to get away from the bottom of the Premier League.

“It’s an undisclosed fee, but all week people have been talking about a £12m offer from Burnley, so I suspect that’s not too wide of the mark.

“He’ll train this (Monday) afternoon with his team-mates and he’ll take the No 9 shirt vacated by Chris Wood’s move to Newcastle.

“He has a decent scoring record in the Dutch league, 50 goals there and another 50 in Germany as well. So Dyche will be hoping Weghorst will bring some badly-needed firepower to his attack.

“It will make up for the disappointment of missing out on Mislav Orsic, the Croatia midfielder, who is staying at Dinamo Zagreb.”

De Jong: Weghorst a good fit for Burnley

Nigel de Jong says fellow Dutchman Weghorst could be an excellent addition to Burnley’s squad.

He told Sky Sports News: “I think he’s the typical striker Sean Dyche is looking for. We know with Chris Wood going to Newcastle that he needed another target man.

“He’s not a regular starter for the national team but he’s the type of player who comes from the bench for the national team for the last 20 minutes to force something when you need to.

“He had a great start at Wolfsburg under Mark van Bommel. He’s a target man, very emotional, and he loves the game. He’s very passionate about scoring goals, going forward and doing the best he can for the team.

“I think it could be a great signing. He’s mentioned many times already that he would love to play in the Premier League and I’m delighted for him. I hope he gets the time he needs to keep playing and also be a member of the national team.”

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