Could a return to the Championship be in the cards for Emmanuel Latte Lath?
According to longtime UK soccer writer Alan Nixon, Burnley have submitted a loan bid for the Atlanta United striker with an obligation to buy if it is promoted to the Premier League in 2026-27. After winning automatic promotion after a second place-finish in the Championship in 2024-25, Burnley dropped back to England’s second division after finishing its 2025-26 top-flight campaign second-from-last.
The move would not only bring Latte Lath to a league where he totaled 29 goals with Middlesborough before coming to MLS, but would also reunite him with a familiar face. Garth Lagerwey has been reportedly hired as part of Burnley’s football operations under chairman Alan Pace as it looks to regain promotion.
If Latte Lath is indeed loaned out to Burnley, he very well could regain the form he enjoyed at Boro. Unfortunately, it never arrived with him to MLS, as he was unable to adjust to the league while maintaining the confidence needed to become a consistent goalscorer with the club.
It also opens the door for Atlanta United to sign a DP replacement, as Latte Lath’s slot would be opened up should a deal with Burnley materialize. Breel Embolo and Darwin Núñez are the names that have been connected to Atlanta so far.
I will personally pick Latte Lath up and take him to Hartsfield if it would speed things up.
I’ll fly with him and ensure he gets off the plane and into Burnley’s private car and see him off.
I’m gonna be rooting hard for Burnley to get promoted if they do this deal.
I was thinking the same thing. I’ll be watching a latta championship football this season
ELL seems like a good guy, just not good for us, so it would be a win-win-win if they get promoted: Good for Burnley, good for ELL, and good for us.
The offer for Darwin Nunez is also apparently a loan for a year to buy.
I like that a lot better. It gives us an out in case Latte Lath somehow comes back, or in the minor chance he ends up worse than Latte Lath, however unlikely those both are.
If it is initially a loan, would we still be able to open up a DP spot? I thought a DP player has to be sold to open up a DP slot.
Would love to know exactly this answer. We have to have DP relief.
Looking at the rules, best I can understand, we can get the DP slot with a loan as long as the other club is responsible for the whole salary of the player. Not sure what happens if they don’t pay the whole salary, I guess maybe senior roster slot opened but not DP.
The part I’m worried about in this case is what happens if Burnley doesn’t make it back to Premiere league and doesn’t buy Lath? We end up with 4 DPs like we had 4 U-22s, and we have to sell the only good one to fit the rules?
Based on this rumor, they are saying the deal is a loan with the obligation to buy. But again, rumors are just rumors until it is officially reported.
I might be misreading, but I thought the obligation to buy is only if they get promoted back to premiere league.
Biggest buyout ever?
Exactly – IF they don’t get promoted, then Atlanta will either sell ELL’s contract for pennies or, more likely, buy out ELL’s contract and let him transfer somewhere for free.
As long as his salary is fully covered by the loan contract, it will open up a DP slot
If he leaves, and the rumors of a replacement are true, what’s coming in is significantly better that’s what’s leaving. Please at all costs do this
I’m liking the movement that we’re seeing. Fingers crossed one or two of these actually come true.