Another day and another set of stories linking a member of this Celtic team with a move either in this window or in January.
This time it’s Matt O’Riley, who as we all know signed in January. Even if he were not half the player he is, no club is letting a January signing who has fitted well into the squad leave in September. It is ridiculous.
The media knows this. Other clubs know it. English clubs might have made “enquiries” but that’s all they were because anyone who went to his chairman and said “We can get Matt O’Riley for £20 million” when he was available for less than £2 million just eight months ago would be laughed out the room. No-one wants that kind of embarrassment.
O’Riley was right under their noses. When you see the obscene fees that even middling players down there go for this looks like what it always was; daylight robbery. You could see that from his debut.
This is a special player, and we’re lucky to have him.
Quite how English clubs missed him is another question again.
But we’ve capitalised on the fact that they did, and now that he’s at Parkhead and on a long-term deal it will take a mountain of money to get us to do business of any kind … and it won’t be this year.
So all of this really is just daft talk, the kind that can be easily ignored. The media is making a big thing of it because they know we’ve got a team here capable of being the dominant force in Scotland for a long time to come.
The player himself has handled it brilliantly.
Not only is he keeping his feet firmly on the ground, but he’s pledged his future to the club at the same time. He’s aware of the interest but has “no intention” of leaving Celtic … exactly what fans want to hear.
The mood inside our club is excellent. That will always be something the hacks resist aggressively. They can do whatever they like, but this is a grounded Celtic side committed to playing for the boss and for the fans.
If this player leaves at some point it will be entirely on terms that we set.
If the media want to bum up our players and give them free publicity, I say well and good. For when it does actually come to the point when they might well be for sale, then an enhanced transfer figure will have already been established as our bottom bidding figure, It’s a win/win for Celtic when the time comes and it means nothing in the interim period as the players are already happily settled. No matter what the media’s intention is, let’s not complain about back handed compliments, the free publicity is all good.
Nonsense
It’s unionist media trying to destabilise our team.
Wake up.
Our players are too level headed to be swayed by transfer rumours, give them some credit.
Destabilised? Now that is a bit dramatic, is it not?
4-0 at half time. It looks like the players have their stabilisers on. 🙂
The media will not determine the bidding price for any Celtic players, just like they failed with Morebellies
Peter Grant’s recent comments on Matt might offer an explanation as to why we got him so cheap. When Matt was in the Fulham academy he struggled to train owing to a back / pelvic problem which caused him to run with an awkward gait. He needed surgery to cure the problem and he finished up at MK Dons. Odds are that he was still being viewed as tarnished goods down South. More full them.
£15-20m???
Take the money and run.
Midfield is not an area we are short in creativity or strength.