Joey Barton taking inspiration from Leicester City

By Barney Corkhill, Editor | 04 May 2016

Burnley midfielder Joey Barton sets the likes of Leicester City and Bournemouth as examples for his side following their promotion back to the Premier League.

Burnley midfielder Joey Barton has earmarked Leicester City's remarkable rise to the top of English football as an example for his side to follow next season.

The Foxes were 5,000-1 to win the title this term, but completed arguably the most unlikely achievement in football history on Monday night thanks to Tottenham Hotspur dropping points against Chelsea.

On the same day as Leicester's title success, Burnley clinched automatic promotion back to the Premier League, and with odds of 2,000-1 for the Clarets to emulate Leicester, Barton is refusing to rule anything out.

"We just want to consolidate, that will be the aim of any side going up. Leicester is a phenomenal story, everyone's still in shock it's actually happened. They've totally deserved it. Bournemouth have showed you can now go from the Championship into the Premier League," he told talkSPORT.

"If you are well organised, recruit smartly and do the right things, there's that many big clubs that have been badly run in the last few years and they can be picked off. There's no God-given right to be there.

"It'd be very, very difficult for a club the size of Burnley to go into the Premier League and win it, but Leicester have shown if you do things correctly you just never know."

Burnley will win the Championship title with a victory over relegated Charlton Athletic on the final day of the season this weekend.