Latest reports from the Daily Record indicates that Celtic are looking to pull off a loan deal for West Bromwich Albion winger Oliver Burke. The Baggies signed the Scotsman in the summer of 2017 for a whopping fee of £15m from RB Leipzig, but he has failed to start a single game this season in the Championship. It is believed that Darren Moore is willing to let him leave in January in search of more game time.
At just 21, Burke has also represented the national team and is seen as a big talent. However, he is having a tough time in England at the moment, and a loan spell looks like the best deal for both parties involved. The winger has spent most of his time playing in the reserve squad and has just managed 46 minutes in the Championship over the course of 3 games this campaign.
However, we highly doubt that his game time would improve if Rodgers is looking to play him in his preferred position that is the right wing. The Hoops have James Forrest to fill that spot, and the 27-year-old has been in the form of his life.
He has already scored 11 and provided 17 assists in 34 games this season, and we highly doubt that Burke would be able to dislodge Forrest from the right wing spot. Given the supreme fitness Forrest shows, he hardly needs a breather, and as a backup, the manager also has the likes of Jonny Hayes and Lewis Morgan.
It could be possible that Rodgers might use him down the left flank given the indifferent form Scott Sinclair has shown so far this season. Rodgers had tried Callum McGregor in that role as well, but McGregor is being preferred in the more central areas. It would be interesting to see whether Rodgers is thinking on these lines to use Burke in his ‘not so preferred’ flank.
However, the fans would be disappointed as this is just a loan deal and given that West Brom splurged so much on Burke, they would want him to come good. So it is likely that even if he thrives at Park Head, he will return to the Hawthorns after the end of the season.
Celtic have other areas to look after and getting a striker should be the priority for the club in January. To go with that, a fullback can be a decent addition as well. Going for a winger in the transfer period doesn’t make sense even though Burke can be termed as a fascinating prospect.
