Burnley will face the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal in the Premier League next season.
Burnley star Zian Flemming has revealed he was ‘pretty confident’ he could help the Clarets claim promotion into the Premier League during his loan spell at Turf Moor - and relived the emotional night his side secured their place in the top flight.
The Dutch striker joined on loan from second tier rivals Millwall last summer and established himself in Scott Parker’s side during the second half of the campaign after an inconsistent start to life with the Clarets. Flemming came into his own during the crucial promotion run-in as he scored five goals and provided two assists in his final nine games of the season and was in the side when a 2-1 win against promotion rivals Sheffield United ensured Parker’s men would play Premier League football next season.
Flemming described the full-time whistle being blown on that crucial win brought ‘pure joy and happiness’ - but stressed he always felt he could achieve success during his time with Parker’s side.
He told Clarets+: “It’s the perfect scenario really. You can plan whatever you want in your career, but it doesn’t always go according to plan or according to your wishes. Signing here last year, basically for four years, I was pretty confident we could get promoted in the first year but if it didn’t happen, surely in one of those four years I’m going to get promoted to the Premier League. But obviously the sooner, the better.
“It was amazing. Straight after the Watford game, when we knew we had this promotion game, I was just so excited for three days. Playing the game was good fun. I came off for the last five minutes and that was nerve-wracking, that was really annoying. But then the moment the final whistle went it was just incredible. It was pure joy and happiness.”
“We’re in the Premier League”
Zian Flemming celebrates his equaliser against Watford. Photo: Kelvin Lister-StuttardZian Flemming celebrates his equaliser against Watford. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
Zian Flemming celebrates his equaliser against Watford. Photo: Kelvin Lister-Stuttard
In helping Burnley secure their spot in next season’s Premier League, Flemming has added yet another step in a remarkable upturn in his own career. The 26-year-old frontman was battling against relegation with Dutch Eredivisie side Fortuna Sittard just three years ago before he made a £2m move to Millwall during the summer of 2022. After scoring 23 goals and providing eight assists in 92 appearances for the Lions, the striker joined Burnley on loan last season and quickly mad himself a favourite with the Turf Moor faithful.
A return of 14 goals in 37 appearances may seem a modest return - but the Dutchman scored some big goals as he found the net in a 2-0 win at promotion rivals Sheffield United and grabbed the only goal in a victory at Blackburn Rovers. With a permanent move to the Clarets now complete, Flemming has firmly turned his focus on impressing at Premier League level and has revealed how he will prepare to take on some of the best defenders in world football next season.
“It still feels a bit surreal. Obviously I’ve come from Millwall last year but even before Millwall, I was in the Dutch league and not playing for one of the biggest teams. So three years ago if you had asked people, they wouldn’t have expected me to reach a certain level because of the level I was at. Even though I was performing well, there was a very long way to go.
“But the fact I’ve managed to get myself there within three years is just amazing. But I also tell myself not to look ahead to the Premier League too much because I need to enjoy the moment of celebrating the promotion rather than looking straight to the next challenge. That’s what we always do, but I don’t want to look back on my career and think: ‘wow, this might be the highlight of my career and I didn’t enjoy it as much as I should have done’.
“So I’m going to enjoy it, enjoy a bit of a holiday for a bit and then properly flick the switch to the Premier League. But this is the feeling I had when the final whistle went, we’re in the Premier League. This is amazing. Obviously you’re going to think about it all the time but I also told myself to stay calm and enjoy the promotion first.”
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