MANAGER Owen Coyle is scouring the market to strengthen his newly promoted Burnley side for the Premier League.

But with numbers required to increase if they are to survive in the top flight, the Scot may well be looking to up his staffing levels to cater for a bigger squad too.

Coyle engineered the Clarets’ play-off winning campaign in his first season in charge, supported by a backroom team consisting of assistant boss Sandy Stewart, first team coach Steve Davis and goalkeeping coach Phil Hughes.

Players were kept in condition by physios Andy Mitchell and Luke Bussey, and monitored by ProZone analyst John Brannan.

Although three have left the 24-man squad from last season, professional deals for a quintet of youth team players have instantly made the squad bigger.

Operational director Brendan Flood has also given Coyle the go-ahead to make up to seven additional signings.

Allied to that, the media demands alone mean that Coyle is likely to spend less time on the training ground than last season.

There are all manner of specialist roles among top flight teams, from sports scientists to sychologists, but it is unlikely that the Clarets will go to the lengths of some of their new Premier League rivals.

At Coyle’s former club, Bolton Wanderers, for example, Gary Megson has a three-man performance analysis team in addition to a fitness, strength and conditioning coach.

But, as well as relying on his assistant manager Chris Evans, three coaches put the Trotters through their paces on day-to-day training.

Assistant head coach Alan Cork also doubles up as the club’s reserve team manager, and with Burnley’s second string due to compete in the Barclays Premier Reserve League (North), this is an area where the club may look to appoint.

It is 12 months since Coyle offered David Unsworth a player-coaching role, and although his desire to focus solely on playing for at least another season ultimately ruled his decision to turn it down, it did prove to be a tug-of-love for the former Everton defender, who had become popular in a year at Turf Moor.

The 35-year-old, who went on to join Huddersfield, has now hung up his boots and committed himself to a coaching career since completing his UEFA A-licence.