CELTIC have sent heartfelt thanks to Matt O’Riley now his record-breaking transfer to Brighton has been complete.
The Hoops’ smooth midfield operator was a massive favourite with the support and his efforts were also appreciated by all at the champions.
O’Riley arrived as a virtual unknown from third-tier MK Dons in a £1.5million deal in January 2022, a move which was practically overshadowed by the triple J-League swoop for Reo Hatate, Daizen Maeda and Yosuke Ideguchi.
However, it didn’t long for the 23-year-old London-born Denmark international to prove he possessed the class and the skills to make a success of life at Parkhead.
He played his part in the club stirring itself from the wreckage of the previous campaign where their bid for a historic tenth successive title had ended in nightmarish failure during the team’s first trophyless campaign in 11 years.
SMOOTH OPERATOR…Matt O’Riley displays the class that made him such a favourite at Celtic.
The mystifying crash brought severe consequences. Neil Lennon lost his job in February 2021 which opened the way for the arrival of Ange Postecoglou and his revamp of the playing squad.
O’Riley was part of the second wave of recruits under the guidance of the Greek-Aussie gaffer as Celtic reclaimed the league championship and threw in a League Cup for good measure.
The gifted middle-of-the-park performer became a pivotal figure the following year as the club achieved the clean sweep and he played his part in the double success under Brendan Rodgers last season.
Amid intense transfer speculation, O’Riley played in Celtic’s first three games of the season before the saga was brought to an end today with his near-£30million switch sealed.
The club acknowledged his contribution with this message:
“The midfielder joined the Hoops in the winter transfer window of 2021/22 from Milton Keynes Dons, making his debut against Hearts at Tynecastle in a 2-1 win towards the end of January.”That was the first of his 124 Celtic games, during which he scored 27 goals. His first goal for the Hoops came in a 3-2 win over Aberdeen at Pittodrie just a fortnight after his debut, while his last goal was on Trophy Day against St Mirren in May as he helped the Celts to a 3-2 victory at the end of a title-winning campaign.
“The Danish internationalist leaves Celtic having lifted three Premiership titles, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup as well as sweeping the boards last season at the club’s Player of the Year awards by winning all three categories – Player, Young Player and Players’ Player of the Year.
“A mark of his input over the past few seasons can also be seen in the number of assists he has accumulated over his time at Celtic – 35 in all.
“Matt leaves with the best wishes of everyone at Celtic Park and the image above says it all – THANK YOU, MATT!”
