Matt O’Riley turned in another accomplished performance yesterday as Celtic booked their place in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final with a victory over Hibernian.
The Denmark international continues to form part of a fearsome midfield trio with Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate, remaining unphased by speculation over his future on the pitch.
Brendan Rodgers delivered an honest answer when asked about whether his prize asset would be at Celtic Park once the window closes.
He stated: “I don’t know is the honest answer. You see with him that he is an incredibly talented player. There is a value we have for him, and if that’s not met he will be here – it’s as simple as that. He is really happy here, but it has to be something that draws him away.”
Nevertheless, renewed hope he can stay has increased over the last few days as Atalanta have turned their attention towards Lazar Samardzic. Now, the attacking midfielder has joined the club, potentially having implications for Celtic.
Lazar Samardzic joins Atalanta
Per Atalanta’s official X account, Samardzic has joined the club from Udinese following their swift action to change course from pursuing O’Riley before landing the Serbia international.
With the Serie A club appearing to admit defeat in the O’Riley saga, there is now a larger chance that O’Riley could remain at Celtic if you take recent developments at face value.
Brighton & Hove Albion also moved on from pursuing his signature, instead bringing in Brajan Gruda from Mainz to bolster their engine room.
However, it pays to be cautious in these scenarios. Interest could well arise before the end of the window in O’Riley, with Rodgers admitting the possibility could still arise ahead of the deadline.
Celtic keeping Matt O’Riley for another year could be vital
Not only does keeping O’Riley ensure you don’t need to source a replacement, but it would guarantee another few months or even a year of arguably the Scottish Premiership’s most in-form player plying his trade at Celtic Park.
When you account for Celtic’s involvement in the Champions League, which is now around the corner, having his services available would give the Bhoys a real chance of being competitive across the new ‘league phase’ format.
Routinely, O’Riley has stood up and been counted during clutch moments while in Glasgow. Should he have the chance to continue that, supporters would be collectively overjoyed after a long summer of speculation.
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