Andros Townsend has revealed that he was brought to tears when a potential move to Burnley broke down in this summer's transfer window.
The 32-year-old is still a free agent after leaving Premier League outfit Everton in the summer, following an injury-riddled two years at Goodison Park.
Townsend featured 27 times for the Merseysiders - scoring a respectable seven goals - however the attacker did not play a part in his side's 2022-23 term due to a serious ACL injury sustained last year.
Having been out of action for around 18 months, the former England international is in the market for a new employer after a collapse with top-flight newcomers Burnley.
Speaking to BBC Sport, Townsend revealed the impact that the failed switch to Vincent Kompany's Clarets had on him during the summer transfer window.
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"It was probably one of the toughest conversations I have had in my career," Townsend explained during BBC Radio 5's Monday Night Club to the presenters.
"If I was bad and knew I was not going to get a contract I could prepare myself. But to be looking at houses, looking at schools, talking about squad numbers and then to be told the contract is no longer on offer, it rocked my world.
"I argued my point, put my case forward. That I offer something different, that I am comfortable being a squad player and good around the squad even when not playing."
Such pleas from the former Crystal Palace man were not enough to secure him a deal at Turf Moor, despite the player impressing Kompany over the summer.
Townsend spent part of pre-season on trial at the Lancashire club, and it is believed that the Clarets were prepared to hand the winger a contract for at least the 2023-24 term.
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However, it is understood that the arrivals of Zeki Amdouni and Luca Koleosho from Basel and Espanyol respectively made Burnley boss Kompany reconsider his offer to 13-time international Townsend.
The ex-Tottenham Hotspur player went on to explain how he had been training with Spurs' Under-18s side in the latter stages of the window to maintain his fitness ahead of a potential move.
Townsend adds that there was brief interest for his services from an unnamed club in Turkey, where the attacker spent deadline day as he tried to seal a last-minute switch.
It is also said that a club in the third division of Saudi Arabia was keen on bringing the former Birmingham City man to the Middle East, however the player soon discovered that the side's owner had seized his transfer business for the summer.
Burnley have endured a tough start to the season after turning down the opportunity to sign Townsend, with a Clarets squad - which has little top-flight experience - earning just one point from their opening five Premier League contests.
Carter White
