According to the latest reports from Sky Sports, Celtic are mulling over tabling a bid for Fulham youngster Matt O’Riley. The 18-year-old midfielder has been impressive in the Premier League 2, and quite a few clubs are said to be interested in him. German clubs like Stuttgart, RB Leipzig and Borussia Dortmund have been tracking his progress, and that certainly indicates towards the midfielder being a special talent.
O’Riley is yet to establish himself with the Cottagers but his performances for the u-23 side is encouraging. However, Fulham now runs the risk of losing him as the player is likely to be offered some terrific opportunities and Celtic too are in the mix to land him.
Celtic have been after a central midfielder for quite some time. They missed out (The Scottish Sun) on the signing of John McGinn in the summer of 2018, and Brendan Rodgers must know that he needs to get a long term replacement for Scott Brown soon.
The veteran midfielder was found wanting in the Old Firm derby recently as he seemed way behind the pace of the game and it is yet not clear whether he would stay at Parkhead beyond this season. Even if he goes on to stay, Brown is unlikely to play every game from now until the end of the season. Therefore, Rodgers needs to get some young legs in midfield.
The Fulham midfielder though is a complete package and has that creative side to his game as well. The 18-year-old is calm on the ball and is often able to read the situation well and pick out the right pass. His defensive work rate is also impressive, and he has been used in the deeper role in midfield.
However, O’Riley is really at his best when he gets the ball in advanced areas as he has that killer pass in him which can unlock defences. So if we think about it, he might not be exactly be a like for like replacement for Brown as the Scotsman is a more robust kind of a player.
Nevertheless, the Fulham man has enough talent to thrive in the Premiership and Celtic should try their luck in getting their target. However, with some German top-flight clubs like Dortmund in the picture, the Hoops have their task cut out. It is also interesting to add that Rangers are also in the race for this young midfielder so we might have a lot of scampering going on for the youngster’s signature. Given his talent, we think Claudio Ranieri would also like to keep hold of this academy product. It remains to be seen what would transpire in the next few days.
