One of Ryan Christie’s former teammates believes that he’s every bit as good as Leicester star James Maddison.
Christie has been in the news this week after eyebrow-raising news on his contract came to light. The Daily Mail [print edition, 25/04, back page] reported that his deal is due to expire in January in an unusual contract anomaly. It had previously been expected that Christie was tied to Parkhead until the summer of 2022.
It remains to be seen what the future holds for Christie. However, if the report is accurate, he can speak to clubs about a free transfer from July onward. This comes after six Premier League clubs were linked with a move for the attacker in January [90Min]. In the end, he stayed at Parkhead with no reported offers coming in.
But as question marks arise about his future, he’s been talked up for a move to the EPL by ex-team-mate Danny Williams. The pair played together at Inverness, with the Englishman now back in his homeland with Halifax Town. And as he talked the Celtic star up, he believes that he’s every bit as good as England star Maddison.
“The world will be his oyster”
As quoted by the Daily Record, Williams said: “I reckon he could easily play in the Premier League. I look at players like James Maddison, who played in Scotland and is now in the Premier League, and I don’t think there’s any difference.
“He’s easily at that level. I played against the likes of John McGinn and Stuart Armstrong. They are top players as well and you see how well they have done in England. Ryan is every bit as good, if not better.
“It will be interesting to see what happens this summer. I’m sure he loves playing for Celtic and they are a big club. There is the challenge of the Premier League, which might appeal to him. There’s bound to be interest. Ryan will be at the Euros this summer with Scotland and that’s the biggest stage in the world. If he does well, then the phone will be off the hook. The world will be his oyster.”
Christie could’ve done himself a favour by turning up this season
There will undoubtedly be interest in Christie this summer. That goes without saying. Especially given the fact he was seemingly in-demand in January in the midst of a poor campaign.
Chances are clubs will be prepared to overlook his poor displays when they look at Celtic’s overall situation this season. The Hoops have been all over the place, and finding buyers for the likes of Christie, Odsonne Edouard, and Kris Ajer likely wouldn’t be too difficult.
You can also see Williams’ thinking here with regards to Christie being in the same boat as Maddison. When the Leicester star was at Aberdeen on loan during the 2016/17 season, he was playing alongside Christie. Christie has since shot himself on to title glory with Celtic whilst Maddison has become one of the EPL’s rising stars.
But let’s not kid ourselves, there remains a world of a difference between the two players. When on his game, Christie can be as good as most down south. But his consistency isn’t at anywhere near the same level as the Leicester man’s. We’re talking about someone with 11 goals and 10 assists in 36 appearances this season [Transfermarkt].
Considering the level Maddison is operating at, Christie still has some way to go before he can stake a claim for being as good. He’s let himself down massively at Celtic this season along with plenty others. A good campaign with 10-in-a-row secured would’ve been a massive boost to his profile.
Not that it should matter for him now. He’s on the road to the Euros, and some sparkling displays there will open up more doors for him.
In other news, it’s been explained why Celtic Park won’t be used for the Scottish Cup final.
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