With the transfer rumours now in full swing, Celtic have found themselves linked to a variety of players over the last few days.
Names like Ryan Fraser, Daniel Podence and Eric Dier have all been floated for a move to Glasgow and whilst some of the names mentioned have captured the imagination of the Celtic supporters, others have not.
But with all this speculation floating about, how do the Celtic players feel about it? Surely hearing some of these names being mentioned and the positions they play could cause some of them to feel nervous about their future?
No so much says Celtic midfielder, Matt O’Riley. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. The Danish u21 international opened up on the player’s feelings on the transfer rumours and, interestingly, O’Riley says they pay no attention to them.
O’Riley said, [The Scotsman], “The players aren’t thinking about that so much. We can’t control any of it.
“I come in here, I train like we all do and naturally you hear noise, stuff floating about. But half the time you don’t believe it. I’m sure by the end of the window the team will be in a very good place regardless.
“It’s natural that from a fan’s perspective, you obviously want the best players to play for your club and big names. It’s nice when you have a bit of attention, bit of a buzz. But as long as we are winning games, playing well, then it shouldn’t really matter.”
And that is the crux of it. Win, and you keep your place in the team. Lose, then someone else gets an opportunity. That’s how it should be.
The fear of losing your place to the player beside them should drive the Celtic players on. But from what we have been hearing from some of the squad from press conferences over the last few months is that they all support each other regardless of their first team status.
It’s a great culture to have in the dressing room and one that clearly works when you look at our recent successes.
O’Riley is correct though. As we all know, transfer rumours only really matter when there is substance behind them and more often than not, they don’t get past the rumour stage.
But if this current Celtic side keeps doing the business on the pitch then it won’t really matter who the club bring in next. The new players will need to earn the right to play in the green and white hoops just like the rest of the squad.
In other news, “I’m a real fan”; Peter Grant pinpoints one Celtic star the club must hold onto
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