It’s been a difficult season for Birmingham City, and it’s been no different for summer loan signing Oliver Burke.
The Scottish international moved to St Andrew’s on a season-long loan from Werder Bremen in the summer, but has struggled to make an impact at St Andrew’s, and has been the subject of some criticism from supporters on social media recently.
It’s been a tough couple of years in general for Burke, who looked like a very impressive prospect when he first broke onto the scene with Nottingham Forest nearly a decade ago.
Dubbed the Scottish version of Gareth Bale as a youngster, Burke has got nowhere near replicating what the Welshman achieved in the game, and his career seems to be on a downward trajectory following some poor moves and a lack of form.
Oliver Burke’s time at Birmingham City has been a complete bust
Oliver Burke’s stint at Birmingham City has been far from ideal, failing to score or assist in 22 appearances. This lackluster performance, especially from an attacking player with versatility, is disappointing. Despite the team’s challenges, his output should be much better.
Sadly, this trend isn’t new for Burke; it has plagued his career recently. His struggles were evident during his time at West Brom, where he faced considerable challenges after a £15 million move from RB Leipzig in 2017.
Jordan James could be the subject of more speculation in the summerHowever, it proved a monumental waste of money, and in total he played just 24 games for the club, scoring once and registering three assists.
During his time at Albion, Burke also spent time on loan at Celtic and Spanish side Alaves, before being sold to Sheffield United in 2020 in a swap deal for Callum Robinson.
It shows that Burke’s poor form hasn’t been a unique problem for Birmingham City, but signing the Scottish international has proved really poor business by the club.
Given his lack of form in recent seasons, it seemed a strange move to bring him to the club, especially when he failed to make an impact last season with Millwall – and so it’s proved.
Oliver Burke needs a fresh start this summer elsewhere
When his loan deal expires at St. Andrew’s, Oliver Burke will return to his parent club, Werder Bremen, but it remains to be seen if that’s where his long-term future lies, with one year remaining on his contract in Germany.
One of Burke’s biggest problems in recent years has been that he’s moving clubs all the time, and has been unable to find a settled home.
Despite only being 27, Burke has played for 10 different clubs, which is an incredible number of moves to make in such a short career.
| Oliver Burke’s senior career – Transfermarkt | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Club | Years | Played | Goals | Assists |
| Nottingham Forest | 2014-16 | 31 | 6 | 3 |
| Bradford City (Loan) | 2015 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| RB Leipzig | 2016-17 | 26 | 1 | 2 |
| West Brom | 2017-20 | 24 | 1 | 3 |
| Celtic (Loan) | 2019 | 19 | 4 | 3 |
| Alaves (Loan) | 2019-20 | 32 | 1 | 2 |
| Sheffield United | 2020-22 | 36 | 2 | 1 |
| Millwall (Loan) | 2022 | 14 | 2 | 1 |
| Werder Bremen | 2022- | 19 | 2 | 1 |
| Millwall (Loan) | 2023 | 17 | 2 | 2 |
| Birmingham City (Loan)* | 2023-24 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| *Stats Correct As Of April 7. 2024 | ||||
This is clearly doing him no favours, and he needs to find a permanent club where he can play regular football if he’s to get out of the vicious cycle of moving clubs and being unsuccessful.
This may mean dropping down a division, but surely this will benefit him in the long-term.
Burke looked like a potentially special talent when he first broke onto the scene at Forest as a youngster, but his career has not gone how people expected it to go.
His time at Birmingham should be a watershed moment, and he needs to find a permanent home this summer.
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Aondofa Vershima 
Jonathan Jonathan