New Bhoy Burke hungry for a piece of the action at Parkhead
Rodgers hopes latest loan Bhoy will activate that hard drive in bid to develop and fit into well oiled machine at Celtic
‘SPEED, power, technique, unpredictability’
IT’S NO coincidence that Brendan Rodgers is discussing new signing Oliver Burke as he lists the four elements he regards as essential to the success of his Celtic team. Transferred for a total of £28million by the age of 20, Burke possesses each of these qualities in abundance and it is now Rodgers’ job to try and harness the raw materials and blend it all together into an effective attacking package. Others have failed. Current Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl delivered an offbeat verdict on Burke soon after his transfer from Nottingham Forest to RB Leipzig, observing that the teenager was full of talent but defensively retained an ‘empty hard drive’.
Within a year of his transfer to the Bundesliga, he had again moved on for big money, West Brom forking out £15m to take him to the Midlands where he has stagnated under Darren Moore, who has seemed equally perplexed about what to do with the youngster.
Some have accused the five-timescapped Scotland winger of lacking hunger and so it’s interesting to hear the 21-year-old discuss the lack of game-time that has threatened to suffocate his career.
‘I feel like I have been dying, starving from not playing games,’ he says. ‘Hopefully now I can come here, enjoy myself and play games. That’s really important to develop me as a player.’
Rodgers loves nothing more than a training-ground project and he speaks with wide-eyed enthusiasm about the prospect of working with Burke for the rest of the season.
‘Those four things I want in my teams, I’ve always had that as manager,’ expands the Celtic boss. ‘Those qualities allow you to press the game with intensity and you can play the game to a different level.
‘I’m looking forward to working with Oliver because this is a young kid who’s got huge potential. He burst on to the scene with incredible talent but hasn’t quite found a home.
‘He’s coming into this environment for six months — a coaching environment — where hopefully we can develop him.’
Burke made his Celtic debut in yesterday’s Scottish Cup tie against Airdrieonians but there has been some disquiet among Celtic fans that the addition of yet another loan player — Celtic also have Filip Benkovic, Daniel Arzani and Timothy Weah on the books — betrays a lack of forward planning when it comes to transfer policy.
Furthermore, there is a genuine question over whether Celtic should be polishing up other clubs’ players for them.
Rodgers went public with his frustrations at failing to land his top targets last summer, but defends the practice of borrowing players.
‘First and foremost this probably allows you to get a player you couldn’t afford to bring full-time,’ he argues. ‘The club probably wouldn’t be able to afford to sign Oliver.
‘If he comes in, does well and enjoys it, like big Odsonne Edouard, then there is maybe a possibility somewhere down the line. So it can work both ways.
‘Some may look at it and think: “Well, you’re developing him for other clubs”. The positive intention of it is that the player could do really well for you and there is an opportunity to sell the club to him.’
After loaning Edouard from Paris Saint-Germain for the duration of last season, Celtic decided to sanction a deal rising to a clubrecord £9m. Whether Burke will fall into a similar category this summer remains to be seen.
Compared with Gareth Bale when he was introduced to Gordon Strachan’s Scotland squad three years ago, Burke never quite made an impact for his country and has since found himself captaining Scot Gemmill’s Under-21 side.
With just 25 senior starts for three clubs under his belt, he remains an expensive work in progress.
‘The word potential will stick with me because I was so young and everything happened so quickly,’ he concedes. ‘I was on top of the world and loving it so I’m not going to say I regret any of it. I enjoyed those times but a lot of pressure came with it, huge pressure.
‘It all happened so quickly. I’d never experienced transfers or media or anything like that before. To have that all suddenly happen at once, that’s a big shock to the system.
‘I need a manager to have confidence in me and give me a run of games. I think I can get that here. Celtic is a great club and the way the team plays is perfect for me.’
One of Rodgers’ first tasks will be to try and nail down a preferred position for Burke. Unleashed as a right winger at Forest, his role was altered under Hasenhuttl in Germany and at West Brom he has barely been used at all.
‘Oliver needs work,’ says Rodgers. ‘He burst on to the scene and was sensational. Then he got the move to Leipzig where they don’t play with wingers. They play with a diamond and so he was playing at the top.
‘If that’s the first time you’ve played that position, and you’re not really clear of it, then it can be very difficult. So it’s about trying to give clarity.
‘It hasn’t quite worked out for him at Leipzig, then he came back to the Premier League and it’s pressure, difficult for him to get game time.
‘But he can come here, learn for a few months and just take a few steps back. I think he is flexible.
‘I’ve always had that with young players — one example being Raheem Sterling at Liverpool. I used Raheem on the right side, on the left side and the top of the diamond. He also played as a striker.
‘At times I even used him at rightback — he just ran up the whole right side of the field on his own.
‘Oliver is a bright boy. He has running power and good technique but he needs to work on his efficiency.
‘Our idea is can we improve him tactically? If you are putting him in as a striker you have got to help him. Somebody like Odsonne Edouard has a natural feel for the game because he has played up there all his life, he drops in and out of spaces.
‘But then you have Scott Sinclair. When Scott first came in to Chelsea he was a striker, then I moved him wide. But you can’t just assume that he knows how to be a winger. I think clarity is so important to a player. Give them a purpose and then make it clear.
‘When you are a winger or a striker you will be judged on your numbers. But how can we help him? We talk him through, coach him, give him confidence. Then let’s see where he’s at.’ ‘I see myself as a striker-slashwinger,’ says Burke. ‘I can mix and change and I will play anywhere. I’ve come on dribs and drabs playing as a striker. I feel I will learn that here, especially under Brendan.
‘That was one of the main reasons that persuaded me to come here. He’s a fantastic manager, has brought in some great players and worked with some amazing talents.
‘I’ll progress as a player if I listen, learn and take everything in.’
Hard drive open, download commenced.
The word potential will stick with me. It all happened so quickly