FOLLOWING Moussa Dembele’s deadline day departure in August and Leigh Griffiths’ indefinite spell away from football, Celtic require more options in attack going into the second half of the season. Odsonne Edouard has performed admirably as the only natural centre forward in the squad - and is arguably the best striker in Scotland at the moment - but cannot be relied upon to start every fixture between now and the end of the season for Brendan Rodgers’ side.

Celtic have been fairly quick to act since the January transfer window opened and have already brought in two loan signings; Oliver Burke, from West Bromwich Albion, and Timothy Weah, from Paris Saint Germain. A third forward could be added in the coming weeks, with Celtic reportedly interested in Ivorian striker Vakoun Issouf Bayo and the club have already had a bid knocked back for the 21-year-old.

While Weah - despite his famous father - and Bayo are both relatively unknown prospects, Burke’s arrival is a familiar face to those who follow German or English football. After securing a move for around £13 million to RB Leipzig from Nottingham Forest, Burke became the most expensive Scottish footballer in history.

Burke impressed in short bursts in the Bundesliga but in truth, failed to live up to the potential that then-Leipzig manager Ralph Hassenhuttl saw in him. When West Brom came in for him almost a year to the day after he signed for the German club, Leipzig decided to cash in on the Scotland under-21 winger, rather than develop him themselves and sell him on for a profit.

The 21-year-old was often brought off the bench during his time in England’s top flight but only started three Premier League matches in his debut season at the Hawthorns. This season, in the English Championship, Burke has only been given 48 minutes of gametime over three substitute appearances. Now, Celtic are the latest club to take a punt on the young winger, having signed him on loan until the end of the season.

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At first glance, the deal seems a little strange. There has been no mention of an option to buy when Burke’s loan expires at the end of the season so, presumably, Rodgers expects Burke to play while he’s in Glasgow or the deal wouldn’t have gone through. But with Burke’s favoured position on the right wing currently occupied by James Forrest - a player currently in the form of his life - it seems that the best Burke can hope for is to be Forrest’s understudy. And a fairly expensive one at that.

The loan looks even more unusual when you consider the fact that Rodgers already has a number of young Scottish wingers of his own that can serve as backup to Forrest or even Scott Sinclair on the left. Mikey Johnston has generally done well whenever he’s been given an opportunity on the wing, and Lewis Morgan - now reportedly a loan target for Hibernian - has barely featured for the champions.

So why, then, has Rodgers gambled on Burke? The answer may well lie at the focal point of the Celtic attack.

It’s no secret that Rodgers has been on the lookout for more striking options and in Burke, he might well have found a player perfectly suited to partner Edouard up front or deputise in the Frenchman’s absence. Burke’s physicality has always been a strong point in his game; standing at a little over six feet and with a strong frame, the 21-year-old certainly has the physical profile to play up front. Add to that his impressive speed once he gets up to pace - comparisons with Gareth Bale’s running aren’t too far off the mark - and all the ingredients are there for another bustling centre forward to partner Edouard.

When the French striker doesn’t play, Celtic lack physicality in the final third that can lead to their forwards being bullied by an opposition defence. And as exciting a prospect as Weah seems, he’s not going to muscle players off the ball anytime soon. The on-loan PSG forward is more of a nippy, inverted winger in the vein of Sinclair or Johnston, and, as Johnston proved in last month’s Old Firm, that means he simply isn’t suited to certain games in the Scottish top flight. Weah can beat a player with skill, but could find it tough against a particularly physical opponent such as Motherwell or Livingston.

Given that Edouard’s hold-up play has been steadily improving under Rodgers’ guidance and the fact that a lot of the Celtic striker’s best work comes when he drifts to the left of the pitch, Burke may well prove to be the perfect strike partner. The Scotland under-21 international excels at driving into space; if Edouard can provide this by holding the ball up, then Burke is more than capable of exploiting it.

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Similarly, Burke’s history of playing on the right fits into this tactic neatly. If Edouard drifts left, and Burke to the right, all of a sudden Celtic have two fast, burly forwards capable of exploiting gaps between the opposition centre-back and full-back on either side of the pitch.

While Burke hasn’t played as a striker particularly effectively at club level, for Scot Gemmill’s under-21s he has thrived in the role. The ex-Nottingham Forest player bagged two goals against the Czech Republic and an assist against Brazil at the 2017 Toulon Tournament and scored against the Netherlands at the under-21 European Championship the same year, all from centre forward.

A lot will depend on whether or not Celtic can get a deal for Bayo across the line this month but if that transfer falls through, Burke could well prove to be an extremely valuable asset between now and the end of the season. Whether through giving Edouard a rest when the French forward requires it or playing alongside him, Rodgers now has another tactical weapon in his arsenal that he can deploy when the occasion demands it. The deal might not look like the most impressive on paper, but Burke’s signing could be a game-changer for Celtic for the remainder of the campaign.