A loan move for Oliver Burke took everyone by surprise as Celtic were not desperately in need of a winger and the club had the likes of Jonny Hayes and Lewis Morgan waiting in the wings (pun intended) for their opportunities. As a result, Morgan was allowed to go on loan to join his former manager Jack Ross at Sunderland.
Burke had played just 46 minutes of football in the Championship with West Brom this season which was surprising to see as the Baggies had earlier signed him for a massive fee of £15m. Reports (The Scottish Sun) had earlier come out that the English club put the winger on a special training programme to get his career back on track. But, we were not quite sure how match fit he would be to play for Celtic.
However, our doubts were put to rest immediately as Brendan Rodgers chose Burke to lead the line after the winter break. The winger has settled in quite well and has also seen himself get on the scoresheet twice now. The Scottish winger recently opened about how he is settling in at Celtic, and we wouldn’t be wrong in saying that he indicated that he would like to stay at Parkhead beyond his loan spell.
The 21-year-old said (Daily Record), ”I’ve experienced different opportunities and countries, and it’s been fun but I want to be settled and find a club where I’m happy and enjoying my football. I got sick of the whole moving around thing. I know this is a loan at the moment, it’s going really great, so we’ll see what happens. I’m enjoying myself at Celtic, I really like it here. I think it’s a great club with great team-mates who have made me feel welcome.”
Its clear to us that the winger would be willing to move to Celtic if the Baggies give him the green light. On the back of his performances and the impact he has created so far, we believe he can be a decent addition to the squad. Therefore after these comments, the club should start working on a deal for the summer to sign Burke permanently.
West Brom though would want to see him come good at the Hawthorns given the talent he possesses (our opinion). However, the attacking options which the English club have at their disposal mean that he is likely to play a fringe role even in the future. However, Darren Moore has insisted that he would want to see Burke back in England. But given the player’s comments, Celtic should definitely look to try their luck in the summer to sign this winger permanently.
