Why Newcastle United must avoid signing Oliver Burke
As per a report from The Sun (h/t Chronicle Live), Premier League outfit Newcastle United are plotting a January move for West Bromwich Albion winger Oliver Burke.
The Magpies have endured a torrid start to the season and are one of the only three teams without a victory in the English top-flight so far. Sitting 19th in the table and staring at the prospect of relegation, there is no question that manager Rafael Benitez needs to spruce up the squad in the winter transfer window.
Newcastle United do have a number of options when it comes to the wide areas in Matt Ritchie, Jacob Murphy, Christian Atsu and Brazilian winger Kenedy, who is on a season-long loan from Chelsea. However, barring Kenedy, none of the wide players has managed to score a single goal this term. In fact, Ritchie is the only player to have registered an assist among the quartet.
Considering how the strikers are not firing for the Magpies currently, they need more from their wingers. But the current options are just not delivering the goods for Benitez’s side. As a result, bringing in a new wide player should be a priority for the Premier League side in January.
However, is Burke the right solution for their woes in the final third?
The Scotsman was tipped for a bright future when he broke onto the scene with Nottingham Forest during the 2015/16 campaign. After making a solid impression that season, the youngster was picked up by German outfit RB Leipzig in the summer of 2016 for £13million (h/t BBC), where his progress continued at a rapid rate.
This prompted West Bromwich Albion to bring him back to England in the subsequent summer in a deal worth £15million, on a five-year contract. (h/t The Guardian)
Nevertheless, his debut campaign with the Baggies was a far cry from a successful one. Burke managed just 16 appearances across all competitions throughout the 2017/18 term, failing to score a single goal and registering merely two assists.
Things have failed to improve for the 21-year-old in the ongoing season as well. Burke has managed a solitary appearance in the Championship in the 2018/19 term. He was recently demoted to the U21s by manager Darren Moore, despite scoring and assisting a goal apiece in two League Cup matches.
While there are no questions that the nine-time capped Scotland international is a talented youngster with loads of potential, the fact remains that he failed to make a mark in the Premier League last season and has managed just two starts since joining the club from RB Leipzig.
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And that is not what Newcastle need at this point in time. The Magpies are in a dire situation and they would be better off investing in a player who can come in and make an immediate impact at the club. The West Brom winger has struggled to make an impact since returning to England last year and the Tynesiders are better off without him.
