Why Union Berlin Moved Fast To Secure Oliver Burke On A Free Transfer

Scottish forward Oliver Burke has been one of the best stories in the Bundesliga this season. The 28-year-old has managed six goals in 24 games across all competitions this season for Werder Bremen.

Those numbers in a vacuum aren’t astonishing. But three of those goals have coincided with a four-game win streak that has seen Werder Bremen within four points of a Champions League spot.

A big part of that run has been Burke’s unpredictability in front of goal. Extremely fast, Burke is the fastest player this season with a top speed of 36.72 km/h, and gifted with his feet, the most significant problems have always been decision-making.

Once a big talent at RB Leipzig, his former coach Ralph Hasenhüttl once lamented Burke’s inability to track back or work hard away from attacking zones. “He has an empty hard drive,” Hasenhüttl said about Burke back in 2017.

The Austrian head coach, now in charge of Wolfsburg, was referring to Burke’s lack of tracking back and defensive decision-making. Those factors ultimately led to Burke leaving RB Leipzig and a journeyman career with stints in England, Scotland, and Spain.

Burke arrived at Werder Bremen in 2022. But even then, it took two more loan deals, to Millwall and Birmingham City, before he finally established himself at the club at the age of 28.

Without a doubt, Werder deserves some credit to sticking with Burke. The flipside though, is that they won’t reap the benefits from the Scotsman’s development this season. The club confirmed that Burke will be leaving Bremen at the end of the season.

“Apparently, there is an offer that is significantly higher than ours both fiscally and in terms of duration,” Werder Bremen’s managing director, Clemens Fritz, said in a statement. “We would have liked to keep him here. Especially after we matched the player’s previously expressed expectations with our offer and took into account his strong performances in recent weeks in our last rounds of negotiations.”

Although not confirmed yet, it is understood that Burke will join Union Berlin in the summer. An initial report by Die Deichstube, has since been confirmed by Transfermarkt. According to that report, Burke has already completed his medical at the Berlin club ahead of his free transfer this summer.

There are good reasons why Union Berlin has moved fast to secure the forward. Burke has not only become a more consistent forward but has also finally loaded that hard drive with important information on how to be a more complete player.

According to FBREF, Burke when compared to positional peers in the big five leagues, ranks 99th percentile with 2.26 defensive blocks per 90 minutes, 92nd percentile with 4.14 aerial duels won per 90 minutes and 88th percentile with 1.13 tackles per 90 minutes. In other words, Burke is finally become the more complete player Hasenhüttl hoped for eight years ago.

With those numbers in mind, it makes sense that Union Berlin moved fast to secure the forward. It also points to something else.

The Köpenick club is finally returning to its roots. Gone are the days of signing high-profile players for big money. Instead, the club once again targets cheaper players with upside, which is how Union Berlin became one of the most exciting projects in German football in the first place.