It’s never easy leaving a club like Celtic, but many have done it with differing results.
Those who have been good enough to don Celtic colours for the past decade have understood and met the pressures of playing for Scotland’s finest club.
Whether it’s Neil Lennon’s first spell, Ange Postecoglou or Brendan Rodgers’ return, nothing but trophies have been accepted and delivered.
Some players have departed for big fees, like Matt O’Riley joining Brighton this summer or Kieran Tierney joining Arsenal in 2019.
All those transfers were to the Premier League, but in the case of Ryan Christie, he decided to join Bournemouth when they were in the English Championship.
Christie left Celtic in 2021 and has since worked his way up to the Premier League and is now showcasing that he belongs on such a big stage.
Ryan Christie shines as Bournemouth beat Newcastle United
Over the weekend, an injury-hit Bournemouth side travelled up to St James’ Park to take on a Newcastle United side who had won nine games on the bounce in all competitions.
But, by the full-time whistle, the Cherries had recorded a deserved and incredible 4-1 win, with Christie at the ‘heart’ of the action.
Jamie Carragher lauded the former Celtic man and how he has been ‘so impressed’ by the versatile midfielder, as he told Sky Sports.
Host David Jones also explained how Christie is ‘unheralded’ outside of Bournemouth, which probably isn’t the case because he is well-recognised and appreciated by those in Glasgow.
“This Bournemouth side’s unbeaten run goes on,” said Jones. “How much has it got to do with the unheralded, I say unheralded, he is certainly outside of Bournemouth, Ryan Christie. This was his performance against Newcastle on Saturday. With the most touches, most tackles, most duals, and most passes into the final third, he had three shots which was second and one player ran more than him. Overall, if you look at his entire season, he had won more possession per 90 minutes than any player so far.”
Carragher stated: “The reason I was so impressed, not just with Ryan Christie, but with Bournemouth was because you come up against a Newcastle team or a Newcastle midfield, who I think in the last couple of months have looked the best midfield in the Premier League.
“We know Bournemouth like to press 4-4-2, so it was really interesting to see how they go about it. It was fantastic and he (Christie) was right at the heart of it. We know they like to press and Ryan Christie has got great energy.”
Christie on why he left Celtic
Christie had huge success in Celtic colours, including winning eight trophies during his time in Glasgow, before he headed for the exit door.
It’s always a step down in pressure when you leave a club like Celtic and it wasn’t an easy call from the versatile midfielder.
But, Christie told Dorset Live in 2021, why it was the right time to leave Parkhead and join Bournemouth, who were in England’s second-tier, at the time.
“I was ready for something different,” shared Christie. “I was at Celtic for six years, I’d played in Scotland for all of my career and I wanted to go and try something new.
“It had got to the point that going into the season we [Celtic] were thinking that if we don’t win the treble then it’s not a success, which is a crazy bar to set yourself. When it did eventually go the other way, it was so shocking to everybody – fans and players. We weren’t used to it and it hit us hard.
“You learn more from defeat. I learned about me as a person and how I could deal with my emotions outside of football, how do I turn myself off [from the pressure]. I realise now how important that side of things can be.At a club like Celtic it’s near impossible to turn off from football, but I had to learn how to do that and sometimes you have to learn the hard way.”
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