Luton’s opening Premier League home game with Burnley has been postponed.

The match – the Hatters’ first ever Premier League game at Kenilworth Road – was due to take play on August 19.

But, with the stadium needing a dramatic £10million upgrade to make it ready for top-flight football, the Clarets’ visit is off because Luton cannot guarantee any work would not impact the game at short notice.

Luton chief executive Gary Sweet said: “The joint decision to delay this fixture is regrettable, especially given the amazing progress that continues to be made on our construction works.

“Our current programme is indeed on time, but there is no additional contingency and therefore can’t give a cast-iron guarantee at this stage that a problem outside of our control, however minor, wouldn’t force a postponement further down the line and inconveniencing supporters of both clubs.

“Although this news will be a disappointment, this will make the matchday experience even greater for fans when they do get to come back.

“We would like to thank the Premier League and Burnley for their help in arriving at this practical decision.”

The Hatters, who beat Coventry on penalties in the Championship play-off final, open their campaign at Brighton on August 12.

A Premier League statement read: “The Premier League match between Luton Town and Burnley, scheduled to take place on Saturday 19 August, will now be postponed.

“Luton Town were unable to offer the League and Burnley a guarantee that ongoing work to Kenilworth Road would not impact the scheduling of this match at late notice for supporters.”

Meanwhile, Manchester City’s game with Brentford, scheduled for December 23, has been postponed due to City’s involvement in the Club World Cup.

Burnley forward Michael Obafemi will miss the start of the Premier League season with a hamstring injury suffered while on international duty.

The 22-year-old tore his hamstring in the Republic of Ireland’s 3-0 win over Gibraltar and will undergo an operation later this week before beginning a rehabilitation process.

Obafemi joined the Clarets on loan from Swansea in January, and scored two goals in 14 appearances before making his move permanent earlier this month.

The injury will be a blow to Vincent Kompany’s attacking options as Burnley make their return to the Premier League.

The Clarets reportedly remain in talks to re-sign Nathan Tella from Southampton after he topped Burnley’s scoring charts with 19 goals last term.

Burnley have signed goalkeeper Lawrence Vigouroux on a free transfer from Leyton Orient, the newly-promoted Premier League club have announced.

The 29-year-old has signed a three-year contract at Turf Moor and becomes the Clarets’ second signing since they secured their return to the top flight.

Camden-born Vigouroux, who has previously had spells at Brentford, Tottenham and Liverpool, was a key part of the Orient side that won Sky Bet League Two last season.

Manager Vincent Kompany told the club’s website, burnleyfc.com: “We are looking forward to Lawrence being part of what we are building here at Burnley.

“He has come through top Academy systems to become the player he is today with standout performances in recent years.

“He is a very talented goalkeeper with a good personality and someone we will enjoy working with.”

Vigouroux played youth football at Brentford and Spurs before joining Liverpool in 2014. He did not break into the first-team at Anfield and joined Swindon permanently in 2016 after a successful loan spell.

Having pledged his international allegiance to Chile, for whom he qualifies through one of his parents, he later had a short stint at Everton de Vina del Mar in the South American country.

He returned to the UK and joined Orient in 2020. He has excelled for the London club since, and last season kept 24 clean sheets in their successful league campaign.

His arrival comes after Burnley’s capture of Republic of Ireland defender Dara O’Shea from West Brom.

Vigouroux said: “It’s amazing to be here, an unbelievable training ground to be a part of and I’m really happy.

“You only have to look around where we’re working and training every day. This was the right step and the right way to go. Hopefully I can leave an impression here.”

Burnley have completed the signing of Republic of Ireland defender Dara O’Shea from West Brom.

The 24-year-old has agreed a four-year deal at Turf Moor following the Clarets’ promotion to the Premier League.

Vincent Kompany’s side kick off the new top-flight campaign at home to champions Manchester City on Friday, August 11 after lifting the Sky Bet Championship title last term.

“It feels great to be here and I really can’t wait to get going,” O’Shea told Burnley’s website.

“Burnley were the outstanding team last season and they achieved exceptional things.

“I want to improve as a player first and foremost and I want to help the club achieve their goals.

“I’m at the stage of my career now when I want to push myself. I want to be the best I can be and this is the club that can help me do that and I can help them too.”

Dublin-born O’Shea, who has been capped 19 times by his country, made 107 appearances during his time with the Baggies, which also included loan spells at Hereford and Exeter.

Clarets boss Kompany said: “It’s great to welcome Dara to Burnley and we know he can play a big part in the progression of our football club.

“(He is) strong at the back as well as confident moving forward, a leader with experience and knowledge of playing at the highest level.”

Manchester City will begin their bid for a record fourth consecutive Premier League title away to Vincent Kompany’s Burnley.

The Treble winners will visit Turf Moor to face their former captain’s newly-promoted side on the evening of Friday, August 11 to raise the curtain on the 2023-24 campaign.

It will be the second time Kompany – who won the title on four occasions as City skipper – will have faced his old side as a manager, with City running out 6-0 winners at the Etihad in March’s FA Cup quarter-final.

Premier League debutants Luton will play their first top-flight fixture since 1992 away to Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton on Saturday, August 12, having to wait until the following weekend for their first home game when Kenilworth Road will become the smallest ground to host a fixture in the competition for the visit of Burnley.

The other promoted side Sheffield United kick off their season with a home game against Crystal Palace.

The outstanding fixture of the opening weekend will be at Stamford Bridge where Mauricio Pochettino begins life as Chelsea manager against Liverpool on Sunday, August 13, with both sides looking to bounce back after disappointing campaigns.

Arsenal, following an anticlimactic conclusion to last season’s title challenge, open at home to Nottingham Forest in Saturday’s lunchtime game, with fellow Champions League qualifiers Newcastle hosting Aston Villa that evening and Manchester United beginning against Wolves at Old Trafford on Monday, August 14.

Ange Postecoglou’s first game in charge of Tottenham will be away to Brentford at 2pm on Sunday, Bournemouth open at home to Europa Conference League winners West Ham, and Everton, looking to avoid a third straight relegation scrap, begin at home to Fulham.

The first north London derby of the campaign sees Spurs visit Arsenal on September 23 (with the return on April 27) while Man City travel to the Emirates on October 7 for a meeting of last season’s top two.

October 28 at Old Trafford will bring the first Manchester derby since City matched United’s Treble-winning feat of 1999 (United go to the Etihad on March 2), with the champions hosting Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool on November 25.

The first Merseyside derby of the campaign sees Everton go to Anfield on October 21, while Pochettino will take his new side to face his old one when Chelsea visit Tottenham on November 4.

Mikel Arteta is unlikely to be impressed with Arsenal’s schedule, with the club’s first two Champions League fixtures in six years coming immediately ahead of games against Tottenham and City.

Pochettino will receive an early test of his Chelsea rebuild when the Blues face Tottenham, Man City and Newcastle in consecutive games in November.

Luton have been handed a seemingly kind start to life in the Premier League, their only meeting with any of the ‘big six’ in their first seven games coming away at Chelsea on August 26.

The final weekend sees all three promoted sides play at home, with Burnley welcoming Forest, Sheffield United hosting Spurs and Luton playing Fulham.

Vincent Kompany ended Burnley’s title-winning season with a 3-0 home victory over Cardiff and revealed why he chose to sign a new five-year contract at the Premier League-bound club.

The former Manchester City captain led the post-match celebrations and Championship trophy presentation having steered his club back to the top flight – where he intends to have “a bit of fun”.

It marked a remarkable first season in English management for the Belgian who was appointed following the Clarets’ relegation 12 months ago.

The final-day win came 24 hours after the highly-rated 37-year-old signed a new five-year contract that could keep him in charge at Turf Moor until 2028.

Kompany’s efforts have attracted the interest of potential suitors, with Chelsea the latest to be linked with interest in him.

“I still had three or four years left and it’s not something I went chasing but there is a pragmatic reason for signing the new deal,” said Kompany.

“For my pathway, this is the right decision, but it helps when we try and recruit players.

“When I’m trying to convince a player to come here it’s easier just after I have signed a new deal.

“We have had a massive advantage planning for next season, because we have known about promotion of a long time.

“But we were going to lose that if people were waiting for me to come out with a statement.”

On a day of rain-soaked celebrations at Turf Moor, former NFL legend JJ Watt, who this week became a minority owner in the club, carried the Championship trophy onto the field for its presentation to Kompany and his players.

The win saw Burnley hit the century mark in points, their 101 the highest recorded by any team in the division since Leicester won the league with one more, in 2014.

And it summed up a dominant campaign for a Burnley team who lost just one of their final 26 games and were beaten only three times over the entire league campaign, winning promotion with seven games to spare.

“We faced doubt at the beginning of this season and it will be the same next season,” said Kompany.

“It’s for us to use that to rally around. It starts now. The goal for me next year is to make our fans proud and have a bit of fun in the Premier League.”

The final-day win was also a fitting send-off for veteran striker Ashley Barnes, after nearly a decade at Turf Moor.

He struck after 31 minutes when Josh Brownhill’s cross was met by Cardiff defender Mahlon Romeo who simply chested the ball into the path of Barnes to bury an excellent first-time finish.

The visitors, who ended the season five points above the relegation zone, also contributed to Burnley’s opening goal, four minutes earlier.

Defender Andy Rinomhota kept the ball in play, as he tried to dispossess Anass Zaroury, by pushing it into his area with his hands.

That enabled Zaroury to cross the ball for Brownhill to score from close range, despite Cardiff protests.

Scott Twine wrapped up the scoring on 58 minutes when he lodged a superbly-hit right-foot free-kick from the edge of the box into the Cardiff net.

Cardiff manager Sabri Lamouchi is set to meet club owner Vincent Tan to thrash out his and the club’s future direction.

“We saw the big gap between them and us,” he said. “It’s about small details; experience, quality. Everything is on the table and we just need to know what the club and the owner want to do.”

Burnley have rewarded manager Vincent Kompany with a new five-year deal.

The former Manchester City defender won promotion back to the Premier League in his first season in the dugout at Turf Moor, winning the Championship title in style.

He has been linked with a number of Premier League vacancies, including Chelsea and Tottenham, but has now committed his future to the Clarets until 2028.

The Belgian said: “Burnley and Turf Moor felt right pretty much from the start – so it also feels right to sign for the next five years.

“Together with the fans we have made Turf Moor a fortress again and continue to look forward to the future and the job of making Burnley better with every step.”

Kompany replaced Sean Dyche last summer following the club’s relegation to the Championship and has transformed their playing style, having cantered to the Championship title.

The Clarets can rack up 100 points – their highest ever tally in the club’s 140-year history – if they beat Cardiff in the final game of the season on Monday.

Chairman Alan Pace added: “We are ecstatic Vincent has signed a new deal.

“He is the perfect fit for how we all see Burnley Football Club moving forward.

“An extraordinary leader, setting ever higher standards and driving our club to the levels we all want to achieve.”

Former NFL star JJ Watt and his wife Kealia, an ex-forward capped three times by the United States, have announced their investment in Burnley ahead of the club’s return to the Premier League.

JJ represented the Houston Texans and the Arizona Cardinals in a distinguished career in which he won three NFL defensive player of the year awards while Kealia represented Houston Dash and Chicago Red Stars.

Kealia still holds the record for scoring the fastest goal of any debutant for the women’s national team, doing so after 48 seconds in October 2016 against Switzerland in a friendly in Minneapolis.

The couple, who have spent time at Burnley and within the local community recently, attended the club’s 3-0 win over Wigan in March and on Monday confirmed their formal involvement with the Clarets.

“When you invest in a club that’s been around since 1882, you must have great respect for its history and tradition,” the pair said in a statement.

“We understand that not only are we investing in the squad and manager, we’re investing in the town and its people.

“We take that responsibility very seriously and intend to work hard in earning their trust and support.

“We believe that Burnley is a special club with incredible supporters and we want to help continue to elevate its global profile on its return to the Premier League.”

Burnley have rubberstamped an immediate return to the English top-flight after last season’s relegation by wrapping up the Sky Bet Championship title.

“We’re absolutely delighted to welcome JJ and Kealia into the Clarets family,” Burnley chairman Alan Pace said.

“Both JJ and Kealia bring with them an incredible amount of top-level sporting pedigree and success, as well as ideas and connections that will be invaluable in helping us to continue telling the Clarets story to an international audience.”

Kealia is also looking at helping Burnley’s women’s side, who sit in the third-tier FA Women’s National League North division and had their first ever outing at Turf Moor on Sunday.

“In the US, I’ve seen the NWSL grow into something really incredible, and we’d love to be a part of growing the women’s team here and be a part of their journey,” Kealia added.

Kolo Toure believes working under Pep Guardiola was the perfect crash course in management for Vincent Kompany.

Former Manchester City captain Kompany has enjoyed a fine season in charge of Burnley, leading the Clarets straight back to the Premier League and the Championship title.

Kompany, 37, left City in 2019 to become player-manager of Anderlecht.

He joined Burnley last year, and his success at Turf Moor has seen him become one of the most highly coveted young managers, with Tottenham reportedly interested in taking him to north London.

Kompany's ex-City team-mate Toure, who endured a difficult, short spell as Wigan Athletic boss earlier in the 2022-23 campaign, always felt the Belgian would go onto big things in management.

"You could feel that [he would be a manager]," Toure told Stats Perform.

"Vincent has everything. He has the manager skill. I could see it already as a player. Even when he wasn't captain you could see he had a great relationship with players.

"A great relationship with the fans, a great relationship with the media, and a great relationship with the owners.

"He's always been somebody who is very intelligent, somebody who can connect with people very easily and speaks both languages really, really well. And he prepared himself very well."

Kompany played under Guardiola for three years of his 11-season stint at City, and Toure believes the Spaniard was the perfect teacher to learn from.

"I think for me what is the best thing that happened to him is to be able to play and be managed by Pep Guardiola because he learned from Pep, and Pep is an unbelievable manager," Toure said.

"What he's been learning under him is incredibly great in that's what he's showing really there. Of course, he has a little bit of detail that is putting on the way he wants this team to play. But when you look at his team, he is taking that from Pep Guardiola, definitely."

Toure's first foray into management was not quite as successful as Toure's endeavours; he lasted just 59 days in charge of Wigan.

He failed to win any of his nine games and left Wigan with the club sat bottom of the Championship. They were relegated on Saturday.

Toure, though, is keen to carry on in coaching.

"I would say that it was a great learning moment for me because, during my career as a player, I never experienced fighting for relegation. When the opportunity came, I took it because, for me, it was a great opportunity to start my managerial career," he explained.

"I wanted to challenge myself because you cannot wait for the perfect moment to get the perfect job. I wanted to do that job. I found players who are top guys, and I was my mission was to change the style of play and keep the team up.

"Unfortunately, it didn't work really because defensively we conceded so many goals, and attacking-wise we were dangerous, and we created chances but we never scored them.

"I learned, and you have to be honest, you try things with the level of players with the pressure that the players had, it wasn't easy for them. Next time I have another opportunity, I make sure to assess the situation even better, and just try to help the team win games by taking some of the pressure out of the players."

"I'm definitely looking for a job now," Toure added. "I'm more hungry than ever. I'm looking forward. I'm looking to get a new job. My passion for the game is there to push players to really win games and be the best that they can be."

Vincent Kompany insists he is happy at Burnley despite reports linking him with the vacant manager's role at Tottenham.

Kompany has guided Burnley to an immediate return to the Premier League in his first season in charge at Turf Moor, having arrived from Anderlecht at the end of the 2021-22 campaign after the Clarets were relegated from England's top-flight.

Burnley sit top of the Championship on 90 points from 40 games, and secured promotion with a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough last Friday.

Their form and impressive style of play – having scored 78 goals and conceded just 30 – has led to links with Premier League jobs, including Tottenham, who parted ways with Antonio Conte at the end of March.

Asked what he thought of such links, Kompany told reporters: "It is not at the forefront of my thoughts at all.

"Wherever I am, in my head, it is always the biggest job in the world."

He added: "What can I say? I'm not happy [at Burnley]? We are 14 points clear at the top of the Championship.

"A key part is I'm always happy, never satisfied."

Previously known for their direct style under Sean Dyche, no team has averaged as much possession in the Championship than Burnley's 64.3 per cent this season, showing the impact Kompany has had in a short space of time.

The former Manchester City captain has also been linked with taking charge at the Etihad Stadium in future, with City boss Pep Guardiola regularly championing him for the job once he leaves.

Cristian Stellini has been put in charge at Spurs until the end of the campaign, with the likes of Julian Nagelsmann, Graham Potter and Mauricio Pochettino also being linked with taking over ahead of next season.

Burnley have secured an immediate return to the Premier League, clinching promotion from the Championship with a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

The Clarets were relegated on the final day last season, ending a six-season stay in the top flight.

But they have enjoyed an inspired first season under Vincent Kompany, suffering just two defeats so far in 2022-23.

Goals from Ashley Barnes and Connor Roberts, sandwiched by a Chuba Akpom penalty, secured the decisive victory at the Riverside for Burnley.

Their 25th win of the season meant they secured promotion with seven games still to play.

Burnley chairman Alan Pace told Sky Sports after promotion was confirmed: "Vincent has done something that's very, very special.

"This was a complete surprise, this was not our plan. Vincent and I talked about it in the summer, we gave ourselves two, three years was our plan. I think what you've seen is a lot of magic coming together.

"This team is very, very good. You hear Vincent say it every week. They're surprising each and every one of us every day, they're phenomenal."

The Clarets are 11 points clear of second-placed Sheffield United, who are looking to win promotion after being relegated in 2021.

The Blades are a further eight ahead of Luton Town in third having played a game fewer.

Pep Guardiola joked he took Erling Haaland off against Burnley to preserve a Lionel Messi record.

The Norway international scored his sixth hat-trick of the season in Saturday's FA Cup quarter-final at Etihad Stadium, four days after his five-goal haul in the Champions League demolition of RB Leipzig.

Manchester City boss Guardiola was criticised by some after substituting Haaland in that match, denying the striker the chance to break the record for the most goals scored in a Champions League clash.

Haaland now shares that record with Paris Saint-Germain forward Messi, and Guardiola could not resist a quip when facing the media after the 6-0 win against Burnley.

"I didn't want him to break the record for Messi. I try to punish my players – it is my intention!" he joked.

On a more serious note, Guardiola praised Haaland for his mentality and believes that is integral to his stellar record.

"This guy will have a problem in the future because everyone will expect to him to get three or four every game, and that's not going to happen," he added.

"But I know him, he doesn't care about that. He is so positive and optimistic in his life. He never complains and, as long as the team plays with this intensity, he will score goals, though the exact target, I don't know.

"He is so effective and is such an incredible threat with his power. But his joy of life, always thinking good things will happen, that helps too."

Haaland's tally in all competitions now stands at 42, putting him just two shy of the record held by Ruud van Nistelrooy and Mohamed Salah across all competitions in the Premier League era.

The City number nine will have plenty of opportunities to surpass that total, with Guardiola's side set to continue their fight on three fronts after the international break.

Erling Haaland revealed he has not set himself a target of goals for the season after hitting another hat-trick in the Manchester City's 6-0 FA Cup win against Burnley.

The Norway international took home the match ball for the sixth time this season in all competitions, with his latest feat at Etihad Stadium coming four days after hitting five in the Champions League against RB Leipzig.

With his latest exploits steering City into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, Haaland's tally in his maiden campaign with Pep Guardiola's side now stands at 43 – becoming the sixth Premier League player to break the 40+ total and first since Harry Kane (41) and Mohamed Salah (44) both did so in 2017-18.

Further records are sure to tumble for Haaland, and the City number nine does not intend to take his foot off the gas at any point.

"It's been a good couple of games, with important goals and 7-0 and 6-0 wins before the international break – it's impressive and I'm really happy," he told BBC Sport.

"Every goal means a lot to me, every goal for the team means a lot. To win 6-0 is an amazing thing against a really good Burnley side. I'm really happy and now the next game is at Wembley.

"We are in the part of the season where we should be at our best. Of course, we should be at our best all the time, but now it's where things get decided.

"We have to perform. The last couple of games have been finals, and that's exactly what we are doing.

"I have not set a target [of goals] this season. As a striker, I love to score goals, but my focus is not on scoring goals, it's getting the chances. If you get the chances, there's a chance to score, so that's what I try to focus on."

Erling Haaland scored his sixth hat-trick of the season as Manchester City swept Championship leaders Burnley aside in a 6-0 victory in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

Just days after hitting five against RB Leipzig in the Champions League, the Norwegian added another match ball to his collection after a dominating performance.

Julian Alvarez netted a second-half brace either side of a Cole Palmer strike, ensuring a miserable return to Etihad Stadium for Clarets boss and former City captain Vincent Kompany.

It leaves City's quest for a treble well and truly on, with an FA Cup semi-final now added to the schedule for Pep Guardiola's side.

City dominated possession from the off but early opportunities were limited, though Haaland characteristically popped up to beat Bailey Peacock-Farrell to Alvarez's through ball, tapping beneath the Burnley goalkeeper to open the scoring after 32 minutes.

The former Borussia Dortmund striker repeated the trick to double City's lead, finding space at the far post to tuck home after Phil Foden's driven ball across the face of goal, with just 179 seconds separating the two strikes.

Haaland secured his hat-trick before the hour mark with his easiest goal of the game, smashing into an empty net after Foden's low drive bounced into his path off the right-hand post.

Three minutes later, City grabbed a fourth as Alvarez got in on the act, tapping home from close range after Kevin De Bruyne put the ball on a plate for the Argentine striker, with substitute Palmer adding another after Peacock-Farrell could only palm Foden's cross into his path.

City were not done, Alvarez latching onto De Bruyne's inviting through ball and turning Ameen Al Dakhil in the box before firing in his second and wrapping up another big win.

Gary Lineker was back on the BBC on Saturday as the former England striker returned with a teasing dig at his critics.

Lineker, the 1986 World Cup Golden Boot winner, was not involved in last week's edition of Match of the Day after becoming involved in a political row following a Twitter post in which he criticised the UK government's immigration policy.

The BBC asked Lineker to step back from hosting the popular football show, which led to a number of commentators and pundits, including Ian Wright and Alan Shearer, refusing to take part.

A much-trimmed version of the show was broadcast on Saturday and Sunday, only showing highlights of the weekend's Premier League games with no analysis or commentary.

On Monday, it was announced the BBC would review its social media policy and confirmed former Tottenham and Barcelona striker Lineker would return to work.

As a result, he presented Saturday's coverage of the FA Cup tie between Manchester City and Burnley.

In a Twitter message posted before coverage began, Lineker wrote: "Ah the joys of being allowed to stick to football."

That was a clear retort to members of the public, media and politicians who have claimed Lineker should not delve into politics.

Lineker also acknowledged his gratitude to those who backed him last week, posting a picture that showed him sitting alongside pundits Shearer and Micah Richards, with the caption: "Teammates."

At the top of the show, Lineker passed to Shearer, who told viewers: "I just need to clear up and wanted to say how upset we were that all the audiences missed out on last weekend.

"It was a really difficult situation for everyone concerned and through no fault of their own some really great people in radio and TV were put in an impossible situation and that wasn't fair, so it's good to get back to some sort of normality and be talking about football again."

Lineker added: "Absolutely echo those sentiments."