South Africa international Lyle Foster will once again be dining with the big boys in the English Premier League after Burnley secured promotion.
The former Orlando Pirates player joined the Clarets in the 2022/23 midseason transfer window and played a massive role in helping them top the Championship and get a slot in English top-tier competition.
However, they were relegated the following season after failing to make a desired impact under the then-manager Vincent Kompnay, who is currently with Bayern Munich. Burnley finished second-last on that table with just 26 points after securing five wins, nine draws, and 24 losses, which was what they had not anticipated.
In his debut season in the Premier League, Foster played 24 games and scored five goals with three assists on his name.
The story of the Championship
Despite the exit of Kompany, Burnley were determined to push for the Premier League return, a journey they have successfully completed. In the 2024/25 campaign, they secured the promotion ticket with two games to spare.
On Monday night, the Scot Parker-led team beat challengers Sheffield United 2-1 to open an eight-point gap between them and third-placed Blades. The latter can't breach that gap with the two games left, meaning they will be fighting for a promotion ticket through the playoffs.
The Clarets have played 44 games, securing 94 points in the process, which has seen them join Leeds United on the big boys' table. Another impressive aspect was in the defense where they have so far conceded just 15 goals, keeping 29 clean sheets in the process.
Foster has missed the last three games owing to an injury; this season, he has played 27 games with a return of two goals and five assists.
