One player each Premier League team should sign this summer

Burnley: Darren Fletcher

Burnley did what they needed to do this season: keep their heads above water. They still have a long way to go to really establish their top flight status, but they took a huge first step this season, staying the top flight thanks to an excellent home record.

They’ll need to strengthen over the summer, however, and a player like Darren Fletcher could help in two ways. First, he’d help strengthen a midfield that could charitably be called second-class. His years of experience on the Scottish national team have given him a background in keeping a mediocre midfield afloat.

The second way he could help is less tangible. Fletcher, who returned to the sport after grappling with a debilitating bowel disease, has an unparalleled desire to win. Burnley need an injection of the underdog spirit if they want to have a chance in a league of fat cats.

Fletcher’s openness when talking about what most naturally find an extremely embarrassing subject makes him a natural leader. The work he’s done with his fellow sufferers has been exemplary. That’s not even taking into account his leadership experience on the field.

Yes, it’s an unconventional player evaluation. But Burnely have to look in unconventional places to add missing pieces. Fletcher’s value extends far past his skill on the ball. He had to fight his own body to rejoin the game. That kind of stalwart attitude can spur a team to overachieve. Which, in Burnely’s case, will mean another year of Premier League survival.