Nottingham Forest are the real winners from Oliver Burke transfer: View | OneFootball

Highlights

Nottingham Forest look to have come out as the real winners from the sale of Oliver Burke, with the winger failing to impress since leaving the club in 2016.

The Scotland international joined the club in 2005 as a child, and came all the way through the Forest academy before finally making his debut for the team as a 17-year-old in 2014.

His move to Germany just two years later caused outrage among the club's fan base, although the Premier League club clearly came out ahead, considering where Burke's career has gone since leaving the City Ground in 2016.

Forest sold Burke while in the EFL in 2016

Despite having barely played for Forest in the Championship, the Reds managed to secure a big money move for the youngster in the summer of 2016, much to the dismay of the club's fans.

The winger was sold to RB Leipzig in 2016, with the German club forking out £13 million for the Scottish youngster.

The move caused outrage among the fan base, with the Forest faithful furious about the club letting go of a home-grown star at the beginning of his career, but the deal seemed too good to turn down after just 25 league appearances for the club by the Scottish forward.

During his one season in Germany, Burke played 25 times in the Bundesliga, although only five of them were in the club's starting eleven.

He returned to England after suffering with a lack of game time in Germany, after being used in a variety of positions and struggling to find consistency at the East German side.

Forest have been the real winners from the Burke transfer

West Bromwich Albion signed Burke on a reported £15 million deal in the summer of 2017, just one year after joining Leipzig.

While he moved back to England to secure more time on the pitch, he played just 18 league games for his new club before being loaned out to Scottish club Celtic until the end of the 2018/19 season.

Another loan to Alaves in La Liga saw him become a regular starter, although one goal and two assists in 31 matches did nothing to impress the Baggies hierarchy when he returned to the club.

He was immediately moved on to Sheffield United in a swap deal for Callum Robinson, although another disappointing haul of two goals and one assist in two seasons at the club saw him struggle at Bramall Lane. Burke started 16 league games for the Blades, as he continued to fail to cement himself as a starting forward.

Subsequent moves to Millwall, Werder Bremen and Birmingham City have brought further diminishing returns, with Burke once again finding himself a bit-part player at the clubs. Despite moving for fees of over £30 million in his career, he has managed just 26 goals and 20 assists in 255 matches. For a winger, this is a very poor return.

With him now struggling to perform on loan at Birmingham, Burke is no longer looking like the multi-million pound player that once impressed at the Forest Ground.

It is hard to say that Forest did not come out the best from the deal, as they pocketed £13 million from a player who has failed to kick on since his early days at the club.

Meanwhile, the deal came during a tough time for Forest, with financial difficulties plaguing the club in 2016.

Earlier that year, the club struggled to pay their staff and players due to financial issues, which is usually a sign that things have gone horribly wrong behind the scenes.

The £13 million sale of Burke added some much needed money into the club's budget.

While they did not spend the bulk of the money on transfers, the transfer helped to "stabilise the club", according to Burke himself in a statement after leaving.

While their success was not immediate, Forest have been on the up and up since selling Burke. The transfer fee helped the club continue running and paying its staff, and avoiding a free-fall like previously poorly managed clubs like Portsmouth and Derby County have suffered in the past.

They slowly built up their side with smart transfers, funded by the sale of players like Burke and Britt Assombalonga, that eventually led them to promotion to the Premier League in 2022.

Without the sale of Burke, the financial situation at Forest could have been a lot more dire than it eventually became. The club clearly benefitted from the move, although the same cannot be said for the player, nor any of his future clubs.