BURNLEY manager Sean Dyche knows the club must beat the clock to give themselves a fighting chance in the Premier League.

Unlike in previous Championship seasons when they were able to dip into the loan market a week after the transfer window closed, top flight football means that safety net has been taken away.

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Therefore, once the transfer window closes there will not be any other business for Premier League clubs until it re-opens in January.

Burnley have already added seven players to the squad, with Stephen Ward the most recent acquisition from Wolves.

He was ineligible to face Chelsea in their opening game because not all the paperwork was processed in time, but is in line to make his debut at Swansea tomorrow.

The Clarets are looking to add up to three more new faces before the cut-off point at 11pm on September 1.

They have so far been thwarted in their attempts to sign long-term defensive target Craig Dawson from West Brom and Nottingham Forest midfielder Henri Lansbury, who has been offered a new deal that manager Stuart Pearce is confident he will sign.

There have been reports of an improved £5million bid for Wigan Athletic’s James McArthur, after last week’s £4m offer was rejected, although links to Watford’s Lewis McGugan appear to be agent led.

But Dyche knows that time is of the essence.

“We are still shopping, we are active,” he said. “We’re just waiting for things to be agreed on certain situations.

“We’ve got a number of targets.

“We have had different targets operating within the market and we have to be flexible with that.”

With reduced options with the absence of the loan window in the Premier League Dyche added: “It takes away the flexibility.

“You have to get your business done before the transfer deadline.”

Of the various links to players, the Burnley boss added: “I’ve made it really clear, I like to speak about my own players. I’m happy to speak about any of our players.”

The Clarets recently saw a bid rejected for Forest midfielder Lansbury, whose club have since offered him an improved deal to extend his contract at the City Ground.

Forest have expressed their determination to keep a player who still has two years on his current deal but had previously rejected an offer of a new contract.

Pearce, though, yesterday said Lansbury had indicated he will accept the new improved offer.

“I had a text from the agent saying he was happy with the terms offered,” Pearce said.

“As far as I am concerned it’s a case of getting him down and getting him to sign the contract.”