Oliver Burke’s contract at West Brom runs for a further three years at the end of the season, and manager Darren Moore has confirmed he’ll return.
According to the Daily Record, Moore has ruled out any notion of a permanent deal at Celtic come the end of the transfer window.
Burke has made a strong impression at Parkhead after just three matches in the Hoops. Decent performances against Airdrie, St Mirren, and Hamilton have given supporters belief he’ll be a star here.
Unfortunately, however, that only looks like being for the six months his short-term Celtic deal runs for. Moore certainly doesn’t seem to want it to run on longer than the end of the season anyway.
“We do want to get him back. If Oli is back in the shop window it’s because he’s doing well for Celtic.
“The magnificent thing is he’s our player and he is being developed to be brought back here for West Brom.
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“We hope to see him back here in the summer after a succession of games and goals.”
Any deal surely lies with West Brom
This is a disappointing view to read for Celtic fans. Any deal for Burke surely lies on West Brom given he’s tied there for a further three years.
The player himself earlier this week admitted that he could see himself playing at Celtic further when his loan deal expires. But there’s not a lot the player can do if he’s being told to come back this summer.
West Brom, of course, splashed out an incredible £15million for his services around 18 months ago. You have to imagine that they’ll want some sort of return on that from the player.
Celtic’s main sights, however, have to be on eight-in-a-row. Getting the likes of Burke and Timothy Weah back at Celtic Park for longer has to be put on the back burner for now.
It could also become the case that both men end up struggling here in the long-term. We simply don’t know how well both will have done come the end of the season. Home matches against Accies and St Mirren are all very well and good, but it’s the away games at Tynecastle, Easter Road, and Ibrox when they have to show up too.
The early signs regarding a permanent stay for Burke, however, don’t look great.