Burnley knew this day was going to come.
Chairman Alan Pace spelled it out during the club’s Championship title parade last year. Kompany had just signed a new five-year contract, ending links to Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom he held talks with.
“It’s like dating the most beautiful girl in town and knowing there’s zero chance she’ll marry you,” Pace said. “But, everyone else wants to marry her. So how long can you date? How long can you stay together? I hope it’s for a very long time. But it’s up to her.”
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It turned out to be for only 12 more months.
Now, Burnley begin life back in the Championship and with a managerial search on the to-do list again — as well as dealing with the loss of the most influential figure at the club.
Kompany’s stock seemed to be at its peak last summer, post-promotion. A 19th-placed (out of 20), 24-point season that ended in relegation appeared to have reduced it. Yet his profile, chosen playing style and determination to stick to his principles meant he remained an attractive proposition.
Frustration could have been directed at Kompany for jumping ship on Burnley when the going got tough if he’d departed for, say, a mid-table Premier League team after the support and time he was afforded this season.
Burnley’s board never considered sacking the 38-year-old during a long, tough campaign. He retained their trust, and belief in the project he was leading remained. He has a strong relationship with Pace, with the pair speaking regularly. It is not always common in football to have those lines of communication.
Leaving to manage Bayern Munich at season’s end is a different matter.
It is an impossible opportunity to turn down, and Burnley had to, unwillingly, accept the situation was one they could not fight. The battle was in securing a lucrative compensation fee — an initial €12million (£10.2m/$13m) fee has been agreed between the clubs.
So, what do they do now?
Losing their manager to the serial German champions was not something Burnley feared even a week ago.
Even when their interest was first reported, some internally were not phased, perceiving Kompany to be a long shot for the job. That quickly changed.
Conversations towards the end of the season indicated he was set to continue with Burnley. Planning for the new campaign has been well underway for some time. The former Manchester City captain felt he still had learning to do, just four years into his managerial career.
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Now, Burnley have been left needing to find somebody to replace a man who has structured the club in his image.
Kompany was given a lot of power by the owners. He was involved in everything from his routine managerial tasks to recruitment and transfers. He was also aware of the business side at Burnley.
Granting a manager the keys to your club like that can be a huge positive when things are going well. And even when they weren’t doing that this season, it provided clarity of direction. However, when that figure, who is essentially the sporting director and manager rolled into one, ups and leaves, it can lead to consequences — especially when their exit is a surprise.
The situation has shocked virtually everybody.
Sources close to several Burnley players — who, like others spoken to for this article, asked for anonymity to protect relationships — admitted their surprise. They pointed to Kompany’s profile and philosophy as to the reasons why the move makes sense, but a few acknowledged he was far from Bayern’s first choice.
It does not mean Burnley can’t move on, recover and become stronger. Sean Dyche had a similar standing built over almost a decade at Turf Moor before he departed late in the 2021-22 relegation season. Dyche also built a strong culture, had a large say in recruitment — although he butted heads with previous owners because of a lack of funds — and was the central figure.
Burnley moved on following his sacking and supporters have said that first season under successor Kompany was one of their favourites in modern times. The Belgian used elements from the foundations Dyche laid but put his own stamp on things, reshaping the club.
Someone having too much control can rub people up the wrong way. Some Burnley players — and staff members — were not sad to see Kompany depart. “No tears there,” was the vibe one source with connections at the club described.
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His replacement will have a platform to build on, although they will need to nurse the wounds of this second relegation from the top flight in just over two years.
Kompany knew he would not be at Burnley forever, so in his long-term planning he was trying to implement processes to move the club to a better place.
Unlike the situation Kompany inherited on arrival from Anderlecht in his homeland, he leaves behind a big squad packed with young talent. Albeit one shaped around the style and system he wanted to play. He was the club’s main asset when attracting new faces. The majority of the 37 players he signed, either permanently or on loan, moved to Turf Moor because of him.
Burnley’s squad are all on post-season holidays and were finding out the news as it was being revealed on social media.
While many, as stated, signed for Burnley because of Kompany and might be considering their futures, with the prospect of playing for the club under somebody else unappealing, some were looking to leave this summer because they were out of favour, so his departure will potentially cause them to re-think.
It remains to be seen how big the ripple effect will be across the squad.
Burnley were already going to have to sell this summer to make up for the loss of Premier League television revenue. Sander Berge, Wilson Odobert, Luca Koleosho, James Trafford and Zeki Amdouni were all prime transfer candidates. Equally, it is likely to have the opposite effect on those who were on the periphery under Kompany and seeking a move, such as Manuel Benson and Anass Zaroury.
Some sources with connections to the club voiced concerns about how damaging the fallout could be.
A significant overhaul of the coaching staff had been planned anyway. First-team coach Mike Jackson is set to stay but goalkeeper coach Jelle ten Rouwelaar’s departure to Ajax, enabling him to return to his home country of the Netherlands, was arranged pre-Bayern interest.
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Performance coach Bram Geers was another set to depart before the Bayern links surfaced. Geers and first-team coach Floribert Ngalula are now expected to join Kompany in Munich. With the top man’s departure, assistant manager Piet Cremers and set-piece coach Eliot Tybebo, who also arrived at the club last summer, might go too.
Assistant manager Craig Bellamy’s future was uncertain anyway and remains so, because he will not be following Kompany to Germany.
Bellamy’s situation is trickier, because he might be a candidate for the now vacant managerial position. The 44-year-old former Liverpool, Manchester City and Wales striker would offer continuity, having worked closely with Kompany at both Anderlecht and Burnley. He also shares similar ideas on football.
These departures will give whoever is appointed a clean slate to bring in their own backroom team.
Burnley’s managerial search is already underway, with targets being identified and background checks about availability and levels of interest being made.
The pool of managers they could target is wide. The club are an enticing prospect for anyone with ambitions of managing in the Premier League because they are one of the favourites to make a swift return to the top division via promotion next season.
Burnley might not be able to attract certain players as Kompany did, but recent examples — namely last season’s loanees Nathan Tella, now a German double winner with Bayer Leverkusen, and Ian Maatsen, set to play in this weekend’s Champions League final for Borussia Dortmund — offer an example of how Burnley can provide an environment for young players to develop.
The club’s overarching vision will remain. The ‘Buy young, develop and sell high’ model will stay at the forefront of the operation and it is expected, as they were last time, that Burnley will be looking for a coach who excels at developing young players and plays exciting, progressive football.
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It will not be Steve Cooper, who is highly thought of internally and has experience of leading Nottingham Forest to Premier League promotion in the same 2021-22 season when Burnley last went down. The Welshman is exploring opportunities to manage at Premier League level.
Scott Parker is another candidate being considered — he has two recent Premier League promotions on his CV with Fulham and then Bournemouth — and is thought to be keen on the role.
Current Championship managers Carlos Corberan (West Bromwich Albion) and Marti Cifuentes (Queens Park Rangers) are admired. Liam Rosenior, who was sacked by the same division’s Hull City after falling one place short of this season’s play-offs, is another highly-rated manager without a club.
Coventry City’s Mark Robins was linked with Burnley last month and would be a strong candidate, but he appears wedded to his present club and prising him away would be difficult. Sheffield Wednesday’s Danny Rohl is another young, exciting second-tier manager who has gained experience in the division — although he has just extended his contract after joining in mid-season and keeping them up.
Burnley’s owners are not afraid to take educated risks and look abroad.
Kjetil Knutsen made the final three-man shortlist during the managerial search that ended with Kompany’s appointment, and while his name has not been as prominent in being linked to jobs recently, his good work at Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt has continued.
Whoever arrives will have a big Kompany-sized hole to fill.
They will likely not carry the profile and brand name he did — although former Chelsea and England midfielder Frank Lampard has been linked to the vacancy — but that does not mean they can’t continue the project he started.
(Top photo: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)