Burke is relishing Parkhead switch as Weah checks in
Burke had a Celtic strip when he was a kid...now he gets to pull one on for real
OLIVER BURKE insists a loan move to Celtic was a no-brainer after Brendan Rodgers promised to revive his flagging career. The Scotland winger became the first signing of the January window for the Parkhead club after putting pen to paper on a six-month deal. And PSG striker Timothy Weah quickly became the second after he, too, joined Celtic on loan until the end of the season.
Sportsmail understands Ivory Coast striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo is also poised to complete a £2million move, subject to the granting of a work permit. Signed for transfer fees totalling £28m in the last two years, 21-year-old Burke has struggled to secure first-team starts at West Brom but believes Rodgers can help him return to form. ‘I was looking to go out on loan and get a club which could really develop me and play as many games as I can,’ he said. ‘I spoke to the gaffer Brendan and, instantly, he had a massive influence on me coming here. It’s a superb opportunity,
I wasn’t a supporter. I just loved the kit... and never took it off
ON THE public parks of Melton Mowbray, Oliver Burke had a talent for standing out from the crowd.
Both for his explosive footballing talent and his insistence on wearing a full Celtic kit while other kids worked up a sweat in their Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United shirts.
Now, he’ll get to try one on for real...
‘I am really excited to be a Celtic player,’ said Burke after completing a six-month loan deal from West Bromwich Albion. ‘I had the kit when I was young, the full kit as well, and this has always been the club I’ve thought about. I wasn’t a supporter. I just loved the kit.’
Born in Kirkcaldy, Burke’s family moved to Leicestershire when he was a toddler. He speaks with an English accent now.
Yet the Celtic shirt always served as a reminder of where he came from.
‘Someone on the Scottish side of the family got me the kit and I never took it off,’ Burke continued.
‘I would be down the country park playing in a Celtic strip in England. Everyone was saying: “What is that?”
‘I would be kicking a ball with my friends and they did ask why I was wearing the Celtic kit.’
He’ll be wearing the latest green and white shirt with his name on the back once more on January 19. Flown to Dubai to meet his new team-mates during a week of warm weather winter training, Burke’s likely debut will come against Airdrie at Parkhead in the Scottish Cup fourth round.
‘I have never actually been to Celtic Park,’ he admitted. ‘That’s what I’m really excited to do.
‘I literally came to Dubai from Birmingham because I wanted to get on and get to know the team. I wasn’t bothered with getting to know the facilities. Everything will be fine.
‘As long as there is a football pitch and somewhere I can get changed, I’ll be happy.’
Footballing contentment has been hard to find since he joined West Brom 18 months ago.
Burke’s career has dipped and peaked like the lines on a heart monitor in casualty.
His rise was meteoric, a Scotland debut in March 2016 in a friendly against Denmark preceding a £13million move from Nottingham Forest to Bundesliga side RB Leipzig at the age of 19.
He struggled to make Germany his home. Yet Leipzig made a profit when they sold him to Tony Pulis’ West Brom a year later.
A measly six appearances for West Brom in the English Championship marks a downturn in fortunes since Pulis left and Darren Moore took over. ‘The important thing for me is to be in and around the team, playing games and to get my confidence back because, sometimes, you can lose that if you’re not playing and it can be hard to build it back up,’ stated Burke.
‘This move will help me be myself again, to get myself up and running and back to where I was.
‘I last felt I played at my best at Nottingham Forest. It’s a long time ago and I haven’t had that run of games.’
Burke claims to have no regrets over the move to Germany. While his physical attributes were valued in Leipzig, concerns surrounded his tactical awareness.
With eyes focused on the expensive Scottish kid, he spent most of his time on the bench.
‘For the amount of money I went for, everyone expected me to play. They expected the world from me, but that’s not how it goes,’ he admitted. ‘I got a lot of attention. Everything happened so quickly.
‘The team were doing so well, playing great football, which was unexpected. However, I can’t say I regret the move.
‘I learned a lot out there. I actually really enjoyed it. Look, football has its highs and lows.
‘You have to keep going, working, and pushing yourself because there is always going to be light at the end of the tunnel. You can’t give up.
‘I just want to start to enjoy my football again now.
‘To be honest, I just want to see where this loan at Celtic goes.
‘I’ll try to play in as many games as I can, help the team in any way I can and see where it gets me.
‘I haven’t seen a lot of Scottish football. The only time I’ve spent in Scotland is when I’ve met up with the international squads.’
From an early elevation to the senior team under former boss Gordon Strachan, Burke’s regression at international level has echoed that of his club career.
Compared to Kenny Dalglish by former assistant manager Mark McGhee, he dropped down to the Under-21 team and hopes a stint in the Premiership will attract the attention of Alex McLeish.
‘Playing for Scotland is another massive thing,’ he said. ‘It was an amazing achievement to have done that already but I want to get back and keep myself in the senior squad.
‘All I want is to play games. It’s going be about football, football, football.
‘I went back to the 21s. It was okay and understandable. I wasn’t playing for my club and, so, I was hardly expecting to be called up for the Scotland first team.
‘It’s still a privilege to play for the 21s and help them.
‘I do feel I have got better as a player. It’s now a case of putting it all together...’