West Brom manager Darren Moore has once again come out and dismissed the idea of Oliver Burke joining Celtic permanently.
The on-loan Celtic star is certainly turning heads at Parkhead. Celtic supporters were full of praise for him after he bagged his third goal for the club against Hibernian last night.
At the same time, West Brom were being knocked out of the FA Cup by Brighton at home. It was a shocking result for the Baggies, and they probably could’ve done with Burke’s quality to help drive them on.
But, even before the events of last night, Moore denied Celtic have a strong chance to buy him. Speaking in the Birmingham Mail. Moore denied there’s much of a chance Burke leaves for Celtic Park permanently.
“Not that I know of no, if there is it’s something between Celtic and our board of directors. As far as we are concerned we sent Oli up there to get some games. To play at a level that we thought was right for him.
“We couldn’t of thought of anywhere better for him. The opportunity of Celtic coming in for him and working under the manager up there. That would help him develop to get him to where we think he should be.
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“Hopefully we get him back in the summer and see a more rounded Oli Burke because of the matches he has played.”
Celtic need to hope West Brom’s stance changes
Granted, it seems as though if there is a deal to buy him, Moore wouldn’t know about it. He openly acknowledges that if any such deal is in place, it’s above his head. As odd as that might be for a manager, it must be the truth.
But there’s been no reports of this deal being an option to buy. Moore also states that the Baggies have “invested” in Burke. Considering they splashed out £15million for his services, he’s not telling a lie.
If Burke keeps performing to the standard he currently is, trying to get a deal done would be a no-brainer. He’s already showing his potential, and Brendan Rodgers clearly likes him enough to give him a run of games.
But looking at the fee WBA paid for him, Celtic could have to break their own transfer record of £9m to get him. The cards are all in the hands of the Championship club.
Despite Burke clearly expressing a desire already to stay in Glasgow, player power may not be enough here.