Who is Bremen's in-form Scot Burke? | OneFootball

Oliver Burke: Who is Werder Bremen's in-form Scottish striker?

Journeyman striker Oliver Burke may have played for ten clubs so far in his career, but appears to have settled in well at Werder Bremen – the Scot already has a career-best five goals so far this campaign.

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Data correct as of 13 April 2025

Oliver Burke

Age: 28 (born 7 April 1997)Club: Werder BremenPosition: Striker/Right-wingerCountry: Scotland (13 caps, one goal)

Born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, Burke began his journey to the Bundesliga when he signed for the Nottingham Forest youth academy at the age of eight. Working his way up through the age groups, the 6'2" forward signed for the club's senior team in 2014 and debuted the following February.

The 2015/16 season saw him establish himself in the squad before four goals in the opening five matches of the 2016/17 Championship season earned him a move to Germany and an ambitious RB Leipzig set-up. Burke was keen to impress in the Bundesliga, but a starting place proved elusive and he returned to the UK the following season, signing for West Bromwich Albion with a record of a goal and an assist in 25 Bundesliga appearances.

Injury and form limited his profile with the Baggies, however, and loans to Celtic (with whom he won the Scottish league) and Alavés materialised in the two subsequent seasons before the search for a more permanent arrangement took him to Sheffield United in 2020. Burke hit his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win away to Manchester United - the club's first win at Old Trafford since 1973.

Watch: Oliver Burke takes care of business against Stuttgart

Oliver Burke in action in Bremen's clash with Borussia Mönchengladbach on March 15, 2025. (DFL/Getty Images/Lukas Schulze)

Despite that, game time again proved hard to come by and, for the second half of the 2021/22 season, Burke opted for a loan move to London club Millwall. A Bundesliga return - to Werder Bremen - came at the beginning of the 2022/23 season. Bagging a dramatic leveller against Stuttgart and the winner in a come-from-behind win in Dortmund, Burke looked to be finding his feet, but the quest for minutes took him back to Millwall on loan for the second half of that season.

Yet another loan deal materialised at the beginning of the 2023/24 season, which saw him make the switch to Championship side Birmingham City, but he returned to parent club Bremen a year later with no goals from 23 appearances across all competitions. This season would appear to be the one in which Burke has finally found his place. Since the beginning of March, he has started every Bundesliga match and now has five goals in 21 appearances for Ole Werner's side - including that superb brace against Stuttgart.

Burke represented Scotland at U19, U20 and U21 levels before earning a call-up to the senior national team in March 2019. His record for his country stands at 13 caps and one goal.

Plays a bit like: Benjamin Šeško

Although he stands three inches shorter than his Slovenian counterpart, the comparison with Leipzig's big man up top is hardly a stretch. Both are tall, powerful, and with pace to boot, favouring direct runs into the box and in behind any opponents' back line. Neither shy away from their defensive duties either, as they are both the men up front who are first to instigate the press for their respective sides.

When you consider too, that the systems in which both Burke and Šeško play favour a strike partnership to lead the line, with Burke leading the Bremen attack alongside Marvin Ducksch, and Šeško alongside Loïs Openda for Leipzig, then the similarities between their playing styles become even more apparent. These systems allow for both forwards to drift wide and make more penetrating runs in behind from different angles and in more space.

Did you know?

Burke became (and remains) the only ever captain of the Scottish national team to have led his country to victory over Brazil at any level, coming as part of the U20 squad that played in the 2017 edition of the Toulon Tournament. Scotland ultimately went on to win the bronze medal under Burke's leadership.

What they’re saying

"He is ever-present. He brings both his physicality and his speed to the table and he has improved upon his defensive work." - Werder Bremen head coach Ole Werner

"There aren't many players with the raw pace that Oli has and the key now is to maximise what he has in his locker. He’s got all the attributes we want and need." - Sheffield United head coach Chris Wilder upon signing Burke in 2020.

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