Celtic have bolstered themselves in the centre of the pitch by roping in Aaron Mooy on a Bosman transfer. But the champions of Scotland are now sweating over Matt O’Riley’s future, who has emerged as one of the prime transfer targets for Leicester City, according to the Telegraph.
Brendan Rodgers is plotting a raid on his former club, having scouted the likes of Odsonne Edouard and Josip Juranovic on previous occasions. Those deals failed to materialize, and the Celtic faithful should pray for a similar outcome, particularly after the youngster’s stellar impact since completing a £1.5m Parkhead move from MK Dons back in the winter window.
Ange Postecoglou has been spot on with his signings, but he was primarily after fellow countryman Riley McGree ahead of O’Riley. Meanwhile, the Aussie playmaker opted for a Middlesbrough transfer and the gaffer, therefore, switched his attention on the 21-year-old midfield star.
Previously an England youth international, O’Riley switched his allegiance recently to represent Denmark’s U21 side. He spent his academy years with Fulham and made five senior appearances before leaving as a free agent upon the expiration of his Craven Cottage contract. The midfielder declined a new offer from the Cottagers and signed for the Dons after impressing on trial. A stunning show in the 2021 calendar year earned him a Premiership swoop from the third-tier of English football.
Why O’Riley Has Been Key In The Celtic Set-up
With four goals and two assists in 20 appearances, O’Riley has become an instant hit at the middle of the park. He has mostly been deployed as a ‘number 8’, and his strong runs and box-to-box mobility saw him cementing a starting status alongside Reo Hatate.
Veteran Tom Rogic slipped down the pecking order, and the exit of the Aussie wizard is unlikely to make much of a difference following Mooy’s arrival. David Turnbull is back in business, overcoming a long injury layoff. Also, the expectation is quite high from Yosuke Ideguchi after a slow start to life, unlike his compatriots Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi and Daizen Maeda.
However, Postecoglou is not losing his head amid the rumoured interest from Leicester City.
“I encourage it. If big clubs want our players that’s great. It means they are going well. I keep saying to the boys that they don’t need to worry about their futures if they are the best they can be today. That kind of stuff doesn’t come on my radar so I don’t worry about it.”
He rather encouraged the approach, as revealed in a recent conversation (as quoted by The Daily Record).
Having said that, it would be a massive blow for the Bhoys, who have not only parted ways with Rogic and Nir Bitton but also reduced the squad size by offloading the deadwood in Ismaila Soro, Ewan Henderson and Luca Connell. They still have ample midfield options in their ranks, but the adaptability of O’Riley is something that the Celts are going to miss if a transfer to King Power takes place in due time.
