BRACE yourself for a blizzard of Matt O’Riley transfer tales from now until deadline day on August 30.
With the clock ticking, would-be suitors are getting a tad anxious as Celtic knock back interest from teams looking for bargains at Parkhead.
We’ve already had the likes of Europa League winners Atalanta – with three bids already booted into the long grass – and Southampton linked with the classy playmaker who has three years still to run on his contract.
Brighton are the latest to be ready to make a plunge for the 23-year-old Denmark international who won multiple Celtic Player of the Year awards following his all-round impressive performances last season which included 19 goals.
The south-coast outfit are in negotiations with the Hoops hierarchy over the player, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
HAPPY FEET…Matt O’Riley, Nicolas Kuhn and Kyogo Furuhashi got through a dance routine after the German’s goal – Celtic’s third – in the 4-0 win over Kilmarnock.
Whether or not the Amex Stadium would be a destination O’Riley would choose – and please remember we are constantly informed the player is perfectly happy in his present surroundings – that could come down in the end to the London-born performer who cost a mere £1.5million from MK Dons.
Bids of around the £15million/£20million mark have already been flagged up and, to many, that would obviously represent a fair profit for Celtic.
What the Hoops bosses paid for the midfielder is neither here nor there. It is what he is worth today and not back at the turn of the year in January 2022.
We are discussing O’Riley’s value in the here and now. Before stepping foot in Glasgow, he had never made an appearance for his adopted country Denmark at any level. He now has two full caps and should have been involved in the Euro 24 competition in Germany, but that’s another story for another day.
The manager who made the decision to overlook his talent has already been relieved of his duties.
THAT’S MY BHOY…Matt O’Riley and Reo Hatate celebrate another Celtic goal.
O’Riley had never won any personal honours – he has now figured in seven trophy successes at Celtic – or consistently played in front of 60,000 crowds.
Crucially, the middle-of-the-park operator had never played among Europe’s elite in the Champions League.
This is an entirely different animal we are discussing today.
And interested parties will have to get their heads around the fact the bidding will have to start at the £25million level.
I wrote in CQN last month that anyone with a genuine interest in Celtic’s property and a pivotal figure in Brendan Rodgers’ first-team plans must be prepared to offer serious money.
‘NO TIME WASTERS, PLEASE‘ was the headline on the article and you have to hope that Brighton’s bosses would take heed of such a stark message.
This is a club whose worldwide fan base might stretch all the way to Southampton with a team playing to an average home attendance of around the 32,500 mark.
Naturally, that is dwarfed by that of Celtic.
LONDON CALLING…Matt O’Riley celebrates his goal in Celtic 4-1 win over Chelsea in Indiana on their US tour. Greg Taylor is ready to join in.
The ace card held by the East Sussex outfit is, of course, they play in the Premier League. By a quirk of geography, they can believe they have a chance of enticing one of Celtic’s gems.
And they, of all clubs, certainly know the value of a player.
They received a British transfer record fee of £115million for Ecuador midfielder Moises Caicedo when he joined Chelsea in August 2023.
A year earlier, they had persuaded the Stamford Bridge club to part with £60million for Spanish left-back Marc Cucurella while also receiving £30million from Spurs in the same summer for Yves Bissouma.
Plus we shouldn’t forget the £35million from Liverpool for Alexis Mac Allister in June 2023 and the £21million for Leandro Trossard from Arsenal five months earler.
These boys know how to negotiate a transfer fee.
We must hope Michael Nicholson and Co can do likewise.
ALEX GORDON
