In one of the weirder moves of the summer transfer window so far, Bundesliga side Werder Bremen have completed the signing of Oliver Burke.

The 25-year-old ex-Scottish international has moved to the Wohninvest Weserstadion on a free transfer from Sheffield United.

If you had told Nottingham Forest fans back in 2016 that Oliver Burke would be at his ninth club in eight years and had failed to score more than six goals for all of those clubs then they would have probably laughed at you.

But this is the sad reality of Burke’s journeyman career to date.

Burke's rise and fall

The forward has become somewhat of an enigma in his career, flattering to deceive at all his clubs since he left Nottingham at the end of the 2016 summer transfer window for RB Leipzig.

He became Scotland’s most expensive signing at £13 million when he made the much touted move to Germany as a 19-year-old.

The youngster had burst onto the seen at Forest showing great speed, skill and strong finishing on his favoured right foot.

Before his move to Leipzig on the 28th August he had already scored four Championship goals including a brace against Wigan Athletic.

This athleticism and sheer directness attracted a host of clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea to show interest but the teenager decided to take a big step and try another league, language and culture in Germany.

 

Embed from Getty Images

The teenage sensation made the dream start for the newly promoted team as he assisted Naby Keita after coming of the bench to secure the three points at home to Borussia Dortmund.

His fast start continued the following week as he scored five minutes into the game away to FC Köln.

Under current Southampton manager, Ralph Hasenhüttl, it seemed a match made in heaven for the teenager as Hasenhüttl had showed in his managerial career that he is willing to give younger players a chance to impress.

This however didn’t materialise, as the youngster was limited to appearances off the bench the rest of the campaign and didn’t add any goals to the one he scored at the RheinEnergieStadion.

The now 20-year-old then broke his own record moving to West Brom for £15 million, two more million than his move to Leipzig the summer previous.

Due to an injury ravaged first season at the Hawthorns the forward scored his first goal for his new club a year after signing for the Birmingham based side.

In January 2018, the Scot was on the move again joining Celtic on loan but after another good start scoring twice on his first start he failed to live up to the hype North of the border as well, only scoring two more goals for the Glasgow side.

At this point of his career many started to think was he hyped up to early in his career and were his physical attributes covering up the lack of technical skills and finishing the Scot had.

His next failed loan move was to Alavés in Spain where he only registered one goal and two assists in 14 La Liga starts.

Burke then made an unexpected move to Sheffield United where once again in a struggling side he found it hard to make an impact.

 

This aside the Blades fans will remember him fondly for his goal at Old Trafford to gain Sheffield United their first win at the Theatre of Dreams in Premier League history.

The back end of last campaign saw Burke join Millwall in his third loan spell of his career and he once again failed to score more than twice as the London based side made a late push for the play-off places.

What does this mean for Bremen?

This career trajectory will concern Bremen fans who would have been hoping for a much more exciting signing in the forward areas as they look to re-establish themselves in the first division.

If Bremen fans look at the comments made by Sheffield United fans after his departure was announced it won’t fill them with confidence, but Bremen’s head of scouting and professional football, Clemens Fritz doesn’t share these concerns.

He said: “Oliver has seen a lot in his career so far and with 110 appearances in top divisions, he’s certainly experienced. He’s physically strong and quick, which will help our game.” 

At the age of 25 now this may be one of Burke’s last chances to impress in one of Europe’s top five leagues and he will be keen to show his early promise wasn’t a fluke.

He said: “I was pleased to hear of Werder’s interest and I’m now happy to be here. I want to help the team with the experience I’ve gained over the last few years. I will train hard so I can contribute to the team’s success.”

If the Scot can find his confidence again in Germany he may become a good option off the bench for Ole Werner’s side as his pace, strength and directness will cause many tired Bundesliga defences headaches.

As a reported free transfer it is a risk Bremen can afford to take as they try and build a squad that can once again compete in the big time. 

The 25-year-old has already joined his new teammates at their pre-season training camp in Zell am Ziller.

 

He will be joined by Bremen’s other new signing Jens Stage, who also joined the Green-Whites yesterday for an undisclosed fee.

The box-to-box midfielder joins the Bundesliga newcomers from F.C. Copenhagen and will bring much needed depth to the midfield area.

VAVEL Logo
About the author