Sometimes good memories can help to get unpleasant experiences out of your head. It is possible that Oliver Burke is trying to process the dramatic season finale in the English Championship in this way. On the last matchday, the loan player of the SV Werder Bremen missed out on the Premier League promotion play-offs in dramatic fashion with Millwall FC, beating Blackburn Rovers 3-4.
Burke recalled on Instagram on Saturday with a photo that shows him cheering because he prefers another strange game. Borussia Dortmund against Werder Bremen, 2: 3, winning goal scorer in the 95th minute: Oliver Burke. After the summer break, the Scot will now return to the Osterdeich – but it is doubtful whether this time for a longer period of time.
“For him, it has a lot to do with how he positions himself and whether there are alternatives for him,” says Werder’s sporting director Frank Baumann in conversation with our Deichstube about Burke. And further: “Currently it looks like we are trying to find a solution that is good for both sides.” A sentence that sounds a lot like separation, even though the word doesn’t even appear in it. One thing is certain: If a suitable offer for the striker flutters onto Baumann’s table, the manager will be willing to talk – especially given the relationship between Burke and Werder’s head coach Ole Werner was not considered the very best in the end.
Burke complained about his Werder time in Millwall
In Millwall, the professional had publicly complained about his situation in Bremen. “When I was at Werder, I didn’t really get enough playing time. I sometimes felt like I deserved a lot more than I got there,” Burke told the South London Press. And added, looking at Werner: “Unfortunately, that’s a trainer’s decision, and you have to accept it over the course of your career.”
After a good start to the season in Bremen with two goals and an assist in the first five games, Burke, who came on a free transfer from Sheffield United, had gradually been reduced. He was therefore never able to leave the joker role, but the successful strike duo Niclas Füllkrug and Marvin Ducksch did not make it easy for him either. “He wasn’t happy with his role,” said Werner in the winter, shortly after the loan deal with Millwall was done – and was quite self-critical: “I might have had to put him on the pitch from the start during that phase .”
Oliver Burke scored four points in 17 appearances for Millwall
For Millwall, Burke has scored two goals and provided two more in 17 league appearances. The coming weeks will show whether this yield is sufficient as a letter of application for other clubs. Werder definitely does not want to force a separation. “We don’t want to give him up with all our might, because he has far too much potential for that,” says Baumann, who “doesn’t want to rule out at all” that Burke (contract until 2025) will attack Werder again in the new one. However, there is a crucial addition: “If he shows the willingness to do so.”