This Celtic Manager Talked Straight On O’Riley. Still The Hacks Insist On Twisting His Words.

Yesterday Ange spoke to the media after the game with Legia Warsaw.

Boy, oh boy, I bet he regrets that now.

He was asked about the stories “linking” Matt O’Riley to Leicester.

I read them earlier in the day and they were so tiresome that I skipped them and didn’t even bother to comment. Every half decent player we’ve had has been linked to Leicester.

Here’s my take on it. Rodgers has already missed out on getting a decent fee for a player Ajax just signed for a ridiculous sum.

So of course he would want to pay Celtic a ridiculous sum for a player we bought in December, from right under his nose, for a song.

Honestly, if the stories have even a shred of truth to them his “scouting team” are sleeping on the job big time.

The stories yesterday were yet more trash, rumour mill nonsense which the press couldn’t wait to blow up into a big deal.

Remember, this was not confirmed interest, just a local story down there that found its way into our lazy press.

Yet Ange was asked about it. And he answered as he always does, in plain and simple language. Still, the press up here has found a way to manufacture more garbage from it. He said we “welcome” interest in our players because that means the players are doing well and that the coaches and doing well and the team itself is doing well.

Nothing more to it than that. Straightforward.

But the press, of course, has twisted that into “Celtic would love to get big offers for these guys.”

Yet we’re not the ones who’ve spent the whole of the summer so far trying to punt somebody.

Celtic does not need to sell a single key player.

They do not want to sell a single key player.

There is value on this squad, but for once we have a club which recognises that it’s better that it be realised here, on the pitch, rather than flogged to England or elsewhere.

This is the reality. Just not one the media here wants to live in, or even to acknowledge. Too bad.