Journalist Will Lancaster has criticised Burnley's failure to sign a new striker this summer, following their 1-0 defeat away to Watford in the Championship.

The Lowdown: Burnley lose at Watford

Vincent Kompany's side made the trip down south to Vicarage Road on Friday evening, as two of the Championship's promotion hopefuls locked horns.

It was Watford who ended up prevailing, however, with Tom Cleverley's first-half strike proving to be the difference between the two sides.

Burnley had lots of the ball, enjoying 64% of possession in total, but numerous chances came and went, with a lack of ruthlessness in the final third proving fatal.

The Latest: Journalist criticises business

Writing on Twitter during the match, Lancaster couldn't help but be frustrated at the Clarets' inability to sign a star number nine this summer:

"Dear me. Could the need for a striker be any more clear."

One Clarets supporter replied to the journalist's tweet with an identical sentiment, calling the decision not to sign a new centre-forward 'negligent'.

The Verdict: New striker must come in

Lancaster's annoyance is wholly understandable, with Burnley essentially losing an important game that they may have won if they had a top-quality striker on the pitch.

The best opportunities came to Josh Brownhill, who isn't exactly renowned for his goalscoring prowess - he has four goals in 87 appearances for the club - while even Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson has scored an open play goal more recently than Ashley Barnes.

It is vital that Burnley address this issue before the end of the summer transfer window - if not, they risk falling away in the promotion race because of a lack of firepower.