It’s been 12 months since Matt O’Riley headed for the Celtic exit door.
On the face of it, Celtic still produced the goods, including winning the double last season, despite O’Riley joining Brighton for a club-record sale.
But that doesn’t mean O’Riley didn’t produce some high-quality performances under Brendan Rodgers, including winning Player of the Year.
During the 2025 summer transfer window, there has been a lot of negative noise because of the lack of real action from the board, but has Rodgers found his next O’Riley amid this frustration?
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Benjamin Nygren compared to Celtic hero Matt O’Riley
Benjamin Nygren joined Celtic from FC Nordsjælland, and the expectation was that he would play on the right wing, especially after Nicolas Kuhn joined Como.
But in pre-season, Nygren has been deployed in the number eight role, and he has looked rather impressive and taken many by surprise.
So much so that Andy Halliday and Ross McCormack compared the 24-year-old to O’Riley, including how the Swedish star looks like a ‘very, very good player’, as they told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard.
“We had a caller who talked about how Nygren; they have found another gem within him,” said Halliday. “He only cost Celtic £2 million. He could be the next Matt O’Riley that we have been speaking about.
“You have to almost refrain from judgment, from now towards what is going to happen at Celtic until the end of the window. But I can’t disagree that I have been really surprised at how slow it has been so far.”
McCormack: “You can (still get gems without worrying about getting UCL football) because, from what I have seen so far of the boy Nygren, he looks a very, very good player.
“Very similar, in my eyes, to somebody like Matt O’Riley. In stature, the way he sort of carries the ball and stuff.”
O’Riley’s numbers at Celtic
It needs to be noted that Celtic signed O’Riley from League One side MK Dons when Ange Postecoglou was in charge.
After taking time to settle down, the ball-carrying expert soon became one of the best players to watch in the famous green and white colours.
And his record, over a short period of time, speaks for itself!
- Games: 124
- Goals: 27
- Assists: 35
- Trophies: 8
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