According to reports, Birmingham City is outbidding Hull City and Swansea City in the fight for La Liga attacker Oli McBurnie.
Following his relegation from the top division of Spain, the 29-year-old is expected to depart from Las Palmas, a team in La Liga. According to rumours, the Blues are eager to sign the striker before their Championship rivals do.
The Sheffield-born forward began his career at the academy of Bradford City and Leeds United. Before making 19 appearances for the Yorkshire team, McBurnie made his debut for the Bantams in 2013.
The 29-year-old had loan stints with Newport County, Bristol Rovers, and Barnsley after relocating to Swansea City in 2015.
With 22 goals in 44 Championship games during the 2018–19 season, the striker impressed and was able to secure a berth in Swansea’s main squad through loan stints. McBurnie was recruited by Sheffield United in 2019 after his stellar season with the Swans attracted their attention.
The 29-year-old joined Las Palmas in La Liga after scoring 29 goals in five seasons with the Blades.
The 29-year-old is attracting interest from many Championship teams after making 35 appearances in Spain and contributing 11 goals. According to reports, League One winners Birmingham City made the best offer for McBurnie.
What benefits might Oli McBurnie offer Birmingham City?
Birmingham City will try to make an impression in the competition after being promoted back to the second division.
McBurnie, a Scottish striker who has made 125 appearances at Championship level and spent several seasons in the Premier League, might give them the experience they need for this. His goal-scoring record in the division, which averages a goal per 2.8 games across his 125 appearances, is a great addition to his experience.
In addition, the 29-year-old scored a goal every 3.5 games for Sheffield United, which finished in 20th place, in his most recent Premier League season.
It is evident from his most recent Championship season that McBurnie has the potential to be a reliable goal threat for Birmingham City.
The striker averaged 3.44 shots per ninety minutes, with 1.66 of those shots on goal. McBurnie’s aerial threat would be a crucial addition to the League One Champions.
The 29-year-old won an average of 6.6 aerial duels per 90 minutes during the 2022–2023 season, and according to Fotmob’s player attributes, he won 91% more aerial duels during the 2024–25 season for Las Palmas than players in McBurnie’s position.
Would Birmingham City be wise to sign Oli McBurnie?
The Blues will probably enter the Championship hoping to duplicate Ipswich Town’s two consecutive Premier League promotions. McBurnie’s potential signing may be a beneficial addition to a team with strong attacking capabilities.
With Lyndon Dykes, Jay Stansfield, and Alfie May in Birmingham City’s roster, McBurnie would be an excellent addition to give Chris Davies’ attacking options more competition.
After finishing 15th in League One last season, the Las Palmas striker’s aerial threat would provide the League One victors a stronger set piece threat.
In addition, Birmingham City had the highest possession rate in the third division previous season, averaging 4.6 wins in the last third.
McBurnie’s tackle success percentage in the Championship last season was 68.4%, and he averaged 1.01 possession wins in the final third per game, which would align with Birmingham City’s goal of regaining possession higher up the pitch.
McBurnie’s capacity to compete in the Premier League has been called into question. Despite this, it is undeniable that the striker, who averages 2.8 goals per game in the Championship, would be a good addition to Birmingham City’s assault.
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