David Longwell stood down as Burnley’s academy boss (Picture: Getty)
The academy manager at a former Premier League side reportedly quit after he sent a damning assessment of the first-team squad to the wrong WhatsApp group.
David Longwell took up the role at Burnley last November having previously enjoyed stints at Shrewsbury Town, New York Red Bulls, Orlando City and St. Mirren.
However, the Scot’s time at Turf Moor has come to a dramatic and swift end after he sent a critical report of the first-team squad to the club’s Under-21 players rather than an agent.
First reported by The Sun, Longwell is said to have slammed several players in the squad as well as former manager Vincent Kompany who left in the summer to join German giants Bayern Munich.
An extract from the message read: ‘There are so many players as well as Vinny signed a lot in the Champ[ionship] then more when promoted to the Prem and then as struggling more again in January and then more again in the summer.
‘Big issue they can’t get players out for the finance they spent and it’s been left a mess with that many players and Vinny who signed them left.’
The 50-year-old went into more detail, calling certain players ‘rubbish’ and a ‘big waste of money’, while also labelling one star ‘miles off it in the Premier League and too weak for England’.
Longwell was highly critical of several players within Vincent Kompany’s squad (Picture: Getty)
When the report found its way to the first team and the club’s senior officials, Longwell was reportedly forced to hand in his resignation.
‘It looks like it was written for an agent because there was a lot of detail about how much he thought each player was worth,’ a source told The Sun.
‘He sent it on WhatsApp but sent it to the Under-21 players so the first-team and the manager found out.
‘It is a pretty indiscreet document so I believe he was hauled in and the only available outcome was that he would leave the club.’
Burnley’s director of football development, Paul Jenkins, is also said to have written to the parents of the academy players to confirm Longwell’s departure.
Back in the Championship after their relegation from the top flight last season, Burnley have won two of their first three games under new boss Scott Parker.
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