Celtic can strike gold by signing Oliver Burke permanently next summer
According to the Birmingham Mail, West Brom winger Oliver Burke is enjoying his life at Celtic following his move to Parkhead in the January transfer window on a loan deal till the end of the season.
A product of Nottingham Forest’s youth academy, Burke accumulated 6 goals and 3 assists from 31 appearances for his boyhood club before making his move to RB Leipzig for a fee of £13 million. The Scottish international enjoyed more first-team action in the Bundesliga and a season of moderate success earned him a £15 million move back to West Brom.
However, things didn’t quite go according to the script for the youngster at West Brom, with the 21-year-old starting only a couple of games in the Premier League last term as the Baggies faced the drop. Things didn’t change for the Scottish prodigy in the Championship either and he failed to get even a single league start before moving out on loan.
Well, things have finally started to get better for Oliver Burke, with manager Brendan Rodgers showing plenty of faith in the youngster’s abilities. The Scot has tasted a sudden upturn of fortune since his loan move to Parkhead, scoring 3 goals in 6 Scottish Premiership matches.
Burke is still in the developmental stage of his career and he needs regular playtime to channelize his progress down the right path and work on the flaws in his game. He has been used on a more regular basis at Celtic and it looks like he has adapted really well to the surroundings. To put it in clear terms, the Hoops can strike gold if they manage to make his stay at Parkhead permanent.
Known for his pace, flair, dribbling skills and eye for goal, Oliver Burke is essentially a conventional right-footed winger operating down the right, although he has also been used as an inverted winger down the left and as a centre-forward. The youngster combines his wonderful technique with his quick acceleration, impeccable first-touch, impressive close control and superior upper body strength to wreak havoc through the opposition’s defences.
Burke often likes to run at defenders and beat them with his pace and strength before delivering crosses into the box or linking up with teammates. To add to that, he is quite good with his finishing and he never hesitates to put his foot through the ball.
Burke has been used predominantly as a centre-forward due to the presence of Timothy Weah, James Forrest and Scott Sinclair as wide options. However, the youngster has shown that he is quite adept at spearheading the attack when called upon to do so.
Celtic added plenty of firepower to their squad in January with the signing of Timothy Weah and Vakoun Issouf Bayo and the Bhoys are currently 8 points clear of Rangers atop the table. As things stand, they are likely to win the title once again provided they don’t have any major slip-ups towards the end of the season.
However, they need to start building a formidable squad for the future that would be capable of making a mark on the European front. Oliver Burke is definitely an immensely talented player and Celtic can have a real gem in their crown if they manage to get their hands on him permanently at the end of the season.
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West Brom spent a fortune to bring him back to English football and they certainly won’t let him depart on the cheap. Celtic will have to cough up an eight-figure amount to secure his services but given the potential he has as a player, Burke can take them to greater heights in the days to come.
