Celtic are now beginning life without Matt O’Riley.
Many knew from last season that O’Riley was going to leave Celtic, it was just a case of where he was going to go because there was a lot of interest in him.
O’Riley eventually secured a £25 million transfer to Brighton after months and months of bids from the likes of Atalanta.
The Scottish Premiership champions did very well to keep firm and stick by their principles, in regards to the fee they wanted for the player.
O’Riley himself deserves huge credit because he didn’t let the outside noise affect him, kept his head down and continued to play for Celtic right until a deal was signed, sealed and delivered.
For Scottish football and Celtic, it’s another record deal in the bag and proof that the Bhoys are the best in the country in making huge profits from these deals.
Barry Ferguson touched upon that and how O’Riley ‘grew into a fantastic midfielder’ from first joining under Ange Postecoglou and then exploding under Brendan Rodgers.
The 23-year-old first moved to Parkhead in January 2022 for £1.5 million from MK Dons and now he has joined a team known to pluck and pick out the best talents from across Europe, then get stupid amounts of money for them down the line.
But former Rangers midfielder Ferguson has expressed what has left him shocked about O’Riley’s move to Brighton, even though he thinks so highly of the player.
Ferguson stated that he was ‘surprised’ the quick-thinking playmaker moved for £25 million when he thought he would leave for around £10 million less, as he told Go Radio.
Matt O’Riley’s transfer to Brighton
“I remember his debut at Tynecastle,” said Ferguson. “You could see there was a player there. But he looks a bit leggy. He grew into a fantastic midfielder.
“I will be honest, I am surprised he went for this money (£25m). I thought maybe you would talk between £15-20m.
“But they have got a deal for £25 million after bringing him in for £1.5 million, it’s a fair bit of business. It shows you there are players out there. It’s a phenomenal fee. If he was down in England and playing, then it would be double that or in the Championship. He will suit Brighton as well. They had a brilliant performance against Manchester United at the weekend, it will be a good move for him.”
Will Celtic spend the Matt O’Riley money?
Celtic beat St Mirren in their first game without O’Riley and the man to come in was last season’s loan star, Paulo Bernardo, who has since secured a permanent move to the club.
Yes, there should be a lot of excitement around Bernardo and how he can become a goalscoring midfielder, albeit a different type of player to O’Riley, but they still need more legs through the door.
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This just isn’t a case of enhancing the midfield, but also looking to use that money and strengthen elsewhere, especially if they want to become more competitive in the Champions League.
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