Years and years after strong services for Celtic, Ryan Christie has now worked his way up to be an established Premier League player in England.
In 2021, with nine trophies to Ryan Christie’s name, he secured a £2.5 million transfer from Celtic to then-English Championship side Bournemouth.
The aim, of course, would have been to play in the Premier League, but those ambitions weren’t met straight away, but now he is thriving in England’s top flight under the stewardship of Andoni Iraola.
A bustling attacking player, Ryan Christie isn’t doing all his magic in the final third, but playing deeper in midfield as a number six.
Chris Sutton, who has followed his career all the way from Inverness and, of course, at Celtic, stated that he has ‘never’ seen him in such a role, but is delighted that he is thriving, as he told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport.
Proof of that is the fact that Bournemouth are the form team in the Premier League, with four wins from five, including thumping Manchester United 3-0 at Old Trafford.
Ryan Christie from Celtic to the Premier League
“I know Ryan (Christie) and I know his dad a little bit, Charlie,” said Sutton. “I have followed his career very closely.
“He started off at Inverness. When he first got into the team, the thing about him is, which stands out and you will know from watching him, is his attitude. It sets him apart. He can run. He is dynamic. And he has great endurance.
“He went to Celtic after Inverness and actually, he was sort of in and out of the Celtic team. I don’t know if he felt himself that he was on the periphery and then he had a loan spell at Aberdeen.
‘Then got a move to Bournemouth. Scott Parker was the manager. He played a number of games in the Championship. But the position he plays now (in a double pivot as a number 6). I have never seen him play before. He is an attacking number ten.
“What does he do? He covers the ground and he is a nice footballer. If I can be ultra-critical. He can slow down. Everything is 100 miles an hour. But he is absolutely all in. He is a manager’s dream, in many respects.”
Celtic’s attacking players
Over the years, it’s usually the high-quality attacking players who head for the Celtic exit door, mainly because of the demand.
From Odsonne Edouard, now scoring goals at Crystal Palace, to Jota, who probably now regrets moving to Saudi Arabia in the summer.
This time around, from Kyogo Furuhashi to the quick-thinking Matt O’Riley, the club have done very well to tie these guys down to new deals, especially O’Riley because he is probably the best player in Scotland right now.
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