Burke joins Leipzig for £13million
NOTTINGHAM Forest teenager Oliver Burke has signed a five-year deal with Bundesliga new boys RB Leipzig.
The day after scoring for Forest in a 3-1 win over Leeds, the winger, 19, was unveiled by Leipzig with the fee reported to be in the region of £13million.
“Oliver Burke is an outstanding talent, only 19 years old, with an awful lot of potential that has not been completed,” said Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick.
“He fits with the high pace and way of playing very well and will make his next sporting development step with us. This transfer is important, especially because several top clubs were interested.”
A product of Forest’s academy, Burke made his first-team debut in September 2014. He won a place in Forest’s first team last term and earned a first Scotland cap against Denmark in March.
Christophe Berra believes Ipswich will not lament the loss of Daryl Murphy too much if Grant Ward can keep banging in the goals.
The £600,000 summer signing from Spurs hit the only goal in Town’s 1-0 win over Preston on the day Murphy completed a £3million move to Newcastle.
Defender Berra hailed 21-year-old Ward as an excellent acquisition and said: “Grant has set his standards high with the goals he has scored and now he has to do it on a consistent basis.”
Preston’s Chris Humphrey feels they have enough to pull away from the lower reaches. He said: “We have a very good squad and the gaffer did a lot of good business during the summer.” Only Blackburn are beneath them, after ex-Rover, Tommy Cairney, scored an injury-time decider in their 1-0 home defeat to Fulham.
But defender Tommie Hoban believes Rovers can recover from their terrible start, saying: “There’s a long way to go and once things start going our way we can get a run of results together and climb up the table.”
Cairney had mixed feelings about sending his old club to another reverse. He said: “It was bittersweet. I had a great two years here.
“I am thankful for everything Blackburn gave to me, but things change, people move on.” Rajiv van la Parra was another to score against his former club WINGING IT: Burke was also a target for top clubs as leaders Huddersfield beat Wolves 1-0 – and he hopes his provocative goal celebration in front of 2,000 angry travelling fans will be forgotten.
“It was the heat of the moment, I was emotional,” said Van la Parra. “They are great fans and I don’t think they’ll make a big thing of it. Wolves gave me the chance to play in England, so I’m thankful. It was a really special moment for me, but more because it was my first goal for Huddersfield.”
Tom Bradshaw hit his first goal since his £650,000 signing from Walsall, as Barnsley beat South Yorkshire rivals Rotherham 4-0 to go third.
He said: “I’ve been brought in to score goals but one thing I’ve noticed is that there are goals all the way through this squad.”