FORMER Clarets cult hero Roger Eli is in no doubt that keeping hold of Sean Dyche will be the biggest piece of business Burnley could do this summer.

Dyche was linked with the vacant Crystal Palace job this week, assuming favouritism at one point when it emerged he was on a long list of candidates drawn up by the Selhurst Park hierarchy.

But it appears that the Eagles are now set to turn to Roy Hodgson/Dyche still in the running/CURRENT STATE OF PLAY.

Eli, who made over 130 appearances for Burnley, isn't surprised that other clubs are admirers of the work Dyche has done at Turf Moor, but believes keeping him at the club is vital for chairman Mike Garlick and the board this summer.

"It’s massive. It will be the same with Huddersfield and David Wagner," Eli said of Dyche staying in situ at Burnley.

"They’re not just managers, these are guys who players believe in. I’ve been in dressing rooms where players go out but don’t believe in the manager, so you’re never going to get the right result.

"Once you believe in your manager and vice versa, that’s half the battle, and Burnley have got a guy they need to keep."

Eli believes the success Dyche has achieved with Burnley while working on a modest budget by Premier League standards will be an attraction to other clubs in the top flight, while also praising the personal touch he has with his players.

"He’s worked on a budget and the results are there to be seen," he said. "Any owner who sees a manager who can work on a budget and improve players, there will always be people looking at that.

"To coach and to man manage, that is not an easy thing to do. There’s some good coaches who can’t man manage but when you can do both that’s fantastic.

"Sean has turned those players into believers and that says a lot about Sean Dyche and his team.

"They dropped on the right manager and it’s a great group of players. What they’ve done there on a small budget is absolutely immense.

"They’re going to have to keep on punching above their weight, because that’s what Burnley do, and as long as they do that they won’t be far away."

Eli played a key role in starting Burnley's rise from the bottom division in 1991/92 and was delighted to see them retain their Premier League status this season.

Now he is urging the Clarets to target another season of consolidation in 2017/18 as they seek to follow the path laid by clubs such as West Brom and Palace who have become established in the Premier League.

"Let’s hope they can consolidate and stay there for a third season, you can be looking at being back in the 60s when Burnley were a regular First Division team," Eli said.

"That’s what it takes, you have to cement your place and get one or two better players in there. Look at the likes of West Brom and Crystal Palace who have been there for a couple of years, there’s no reason Burnley can’t be there because they’re definitely more famous than them."