Tonight there’s a breaking story about Atalanta submitting yet another bid to Celtic for Matt O’Riley and once more it’s miles below the valuation the club has put on the player, and so once again I expect that the club will hear them out and kick it swiftly into touch.
There is interest in O’Riley from several clubs in several countries right now, and after he turned in another excellent performance in the early hours of the morning the number of teams who want him is only going to grow. Atalanta’s offers are frankly insulting.
They don’t even reach the level of £20 million. That’s not realistic. They have to know that number is not acceptable to the club and so I get the impression that this is more about unsettling the player than trying to come to an agreement with us. They were told to get real after the last offer and they’re still not doing that, and instead are trying to negotiate via the media.
Celtic should hold firm. It would be different if we didn’t have a guy here who is grounded and stable and happy to stay at Celtic until we get an acceptable bid. Matt knows that the interest will be there next summer, and perhaps even more of it than now. He is a model pro. We handed him the captains armband this morning and he spoke effusively about that after the game.
We are fortunate that this is a grounded young man who, unlike some, is not focussed on only the money. He knows that the move has to be the right one for him and the club itself, that he has to take his time and weigh up the options and that jumping now on the first one that comes along could actually be detrimental to his career.
O’Riley takes the longer view.
He’s 22. He has that luxury. Almost all players his age and who are already established at big clubs have a decade or more in front of them, and he knows that the big financial rewards aren’t going anywhere. If he has a good Champions League, he might find those rewards are even bigger than the numbers he’s hearing right now.
And Celtic might net even more than the fee they have already stuck on him. If the people running things are smart, they will make that calculation. Matt himself is smart enough that he’ll have made it too. I don’t believe this offer will come close to what we want, and O’Riley will not stamp his feet in a rage if we hold out for more.
That’s exactly what we must do here.
What Celtic should do is counter with a bid of £6M for their centre forward.
Two can play at this game.
It’s not acceptable to fans but you can be sure it is acceptable to the board. Their heads will be on a swivel at the thought of another 7 figures going into the Bank Balance Trophy. Excuses of “the player wanted to go and we couldn’t stop him” will be whispered. A figure of @ £25m will be enough for the boards waters to break and let O’Riley go. Of course as fans we know that money will be reinvested… In Idah or Bernardo. Leaving us weaker than last season.
Hate to say it James but it’s miles below the value that you and all us supporters have of Matt.
£15m for Lawell and co represents 10 times what we paid for him and they will bite the hand off you for that.
You still wait for Celtic to get serious in the transfer market, I’m afraid while Lawell is in the building we will never be any more than “just better than them” and that breaks my heart.
Personally I don’t see it being about money at all tho’ I know the director of everything can’t see anything BUT money. I don’t know who coined the phrase regarding accountants: “they know the cost of everything and the value of nothing” but by fukk it suits Lawwell’s evident worldview.
He’ll be doing everything in his considerable but unearned position to grab the best offer for MOR regardless of Brendan trying to build a really strong team, capable of some real progress in Europe. He’s always been the same. “I’ll handle this, I know what I’m doing, about everything and the fans (he can’t/wont even call them supporters as that would infer they actually mattered) will get what they’re given and be grateful.” What an absolute fanny!
I find Trump one of the most reprehensible pieces of shit this planet ever spawned and Lawwell is right down there with him.
4/9 Trump tae get in again noo Biden pulled oot! 1/1000 Liewell will take £15M who as u say is TOTAL SCUM!!
Since someone mentioned US politics Biden and Clement offski same 24 hour period anyone????
James, even should we get £50m I’m not sure it would be enough to loosen the purse strings with this board . I’m sad to say I feel PL is still holding the cheque book in his sweaty grasp.