Matt O'Riley

I'm 100% onside with selling players as soon as they want to go and an acceptable off comes in.

But the caveat there is they have to respect we won't do it mid-season for a key player. If we were a mid-table club then that would be absolutely fine, but at Celtic you chase trophies so leaving mid-season isn't an option. I think players will ultimately respect that if you allow them to move fairly freely in the summer.

I liked how Ange was running it. The minute a player wanted out he worked to make it happen. It's perfectly reasonable to make them wait until the next window though.

 

CELTIC are ready to rebuff an approach from Atletico Madrid for Matt O'Riley.

Atletico's Argentinian boss Diego Simeone is keen to bring in the Denmark cap after he impressed the manager in the Champions League this season.



They've reportedly tabled an initial six-month loan with an OBLIGATION to buy in the summer.

And while the detail of the transfer fee will be, the player has been rated in the £30m category and it would take a record transfer fee for the Hoops to consider parting with a player who is under contract until 2027.

But SunSport understands that the Hoops have NO plans to cash in on the former MK Dons midfielder - and plan to stand firm in the wake of Atletico's interest.

Asked specifically if he was aware of any interest in O'Riley, Rodgers said only last week: "None, I'm not aware of any.



But it's natural. If you have got good players, it's natural you have good players, they will attract attention but I'm not focused on that at all.

"We don't want to be losing anyone. The plan was to add to the squad and that is still the plan."

Hoops chiefs knocked back a £10million summer bid from Leeds United for the Denmark Under-21 midfielder last summer, with Bologna also interested.

We told you earlier this month how LaLiga rivals Girona were preparing a bid for the star this window


He has won five trophies at the Hoops already - with some pundits valuing him in the £30m bracket

 

I agree with this to be honest. They should have at any time a list of players they can target if they lose a player and it should be updated constantly, especially during windows.

The title of the list should say:

"Matt O'Riley potential replacements if someone handed us a whack of cash to spend"

we should also have;

"CCV potential replacements if someone handed us a whack of cash to spend"
"Hatate potential replacements if someone handed us a whack of cash to spend"
"Kyogo potential replacements if someone handed us a whack of cash to spend"
"Abada potential replacements if someone handed us a whack of cash to spend"
etc.

and we should've had;

"Jota potential replacements if someone handed us a whack of cash to spend"

We should never start looking only after an offer comes in, which is what I think we probably do.

 

Personally I feel he could have left in the summer, if he wants to leave and it's a good opportunity/ fair price then fair enough.

 

He'll be here to the summer but no longer. Pretty sure that'll be the understanding all round.

 

If both parties can agree to a straight transfer in the summer, that would be ideal. It would give us a few months to identify a replacement.

 

I would have said that if it was still Girona or similar level teams showing an interest, think Atletico is a notch above and could easily have his head turned by the opportunity.

 

It's a big ask wanting him to turn this kind of move down. Even if Celtic flat out say no.

Still, I can't wait for the summer when he will go and we spend a month finding his replacement while spending as little as possible.

 

Biggest understatement ever.

He would be a monumental loss and the thought of it happening in the next week is sickening.

 

Mate thats not how we do business,we buy low and sell high,it dont matter how much we get for players only the minimun is reinvested.
Really wish people would get this idea of us spending big money just because we have it out of their heads it just doesnt happen.

 

Can see why you are saying that but we'll be fine. O'Riley has a plan, which he's been sticking to, and we are part of it, but only to the summer.

 

The reality of this is there will be a number we will sell at this window. That number shouldn't be south of £30m.

 

I’d sell whenever a player wants to go and cash the money in. That’s an ideal world where the club operates like a world class football club.

That doesn’t happen so I’m absolutely against selling him until the summer. Even if it’s £30m now and £25m in the summer.

 

Good joke.

Sent from my M2012K11AG using Tapatalk

 

I know i literally chuckled when typing. But we can live in hope!

 

Totally agree, which is what makes January window so hard. Noone wants to lose their best players

 

Would be utterly gutted to see him leave, but hey ho he's gonna move on at some point - so might as well be to a massive name like Atletico.

But away and * yersels wae a loan-to-buy




























even though that's the kinda * we do to other clubs!

 

So what happens if we send him out on this supposed loan, breaks his leg? Can't see that being in a deal.

 

'big money' is relative though. Spending 10m on a flagship midfielder after selling your best midfielder for 30m and last season selling your best winger for 25m shouldn't be seen as wreckless or particularly 'big money'.

This season feyenoord spent 8m on a striker, and last season 8m on a defender and 7.5 on a midfielder. That's a spine of a team - 3 players costing 23.5m. Lazio this season have spent 15m and 12m respectively on a striker and a winger.

Two examples coming from a champions league group in which we finished bottom. But two teams that are considered pretty soft in the context of champions leagues groups and neither with any real chance of making a scratch in the competition.

Look at the 8 teams that finished top of the Europa League groups and 6 of those 8 will spend similar of far more on players than we do. Probably 5 of the 8 2nd place teams spend more than we do.

So we are effectively giving up on even competing in the champions league and probably not even competing in the Europa League, while selling players for 10s of millions and sitting with over 50m in the bank. It's an utter lack of willingness or ambition on our part not to try to compete with this level of team while hoarding cash.