Matt O'Riley

Fatboy talking sense, would never have thought it

 

People still living in the past with the whole “big club” argument.

Celtic being a “bigger” club than Brighton means nothing these days when they can double/triple our wages and offer them a much better standard of football.

Seems some just can’t accept that a player has ambitions beyond playing for us.

 

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed midfielder Matt O’Riley's move to Brighton is imminent.

The 23-year-old is absent for Sunday's league visit to St Mirren, with Rodgers telling BBC Scotland: "He'll be down in Brighton completing his medical.

"That move should be done over the course of the next couple of days."

O'Riley, who has two Denmark caps, has scored 27 goals in 125 appearances for Celtic, collecting six winners' medals, including three Scottish Premiership titles.

"He has been absolutely magnificent in this last year," added Rodgers. "He gave everything to the team and the club.

"Right up to his very last day he was out doing extra work. That shows the mentality he has.

"So, I'm pleased for Matt in terms that he gets a move to the Premier League - and for us, we push on. That's the model of the club."

The fee could constitute a Celtic and Scottish record transfer sum as the Scottish champions were insisting on surpassing the fees paid by Al-Ittihad for Jota last summer and for Kieran Tierney's 2019 switch to Arsenal.

It means Celtic stand to make a huge profit on the London-born player who joined from MK Dons in January 2022 and is under contract until May 2027.

"I said before the window opened, you pay for the player not necessarily the league," said Rodgers.

"The club have done great from a business perspective. From a football perspective, we're sad to lose a top player."

Celtic had rejected an approach for O'Riley from Atletico Madrid in January and he had also been linked with Atalanta, Chelsea and Southampton this summer.

 

Can’t just make up your own definition of bigger.

Fanbase and history are only two parts of a much bigger picture. Footballers probably dont care about history and they care less about fanbase than things like European pedigree, league stature, wages.

I think you’re being naive if you think we are a bigger move than Chelsea or City for O’Riley. Despite a couple of factors of our club being “bigger” than them.

 

Tbf he didn’t argue that Brighton are a bigger club. Obviously they aren’t.

But it’s a step up in a lot of ways and people can’t accept that. It’s just the reality of modern football, has been for years now.

Doesn’t make us a small club, doesn’t make Brighton a big club.

 

Shut up Baldy.

 

Brighton are obviously not a bigger club than us but play in a far superior league and are now established as a top half team.

We can offer CL football but as it stands the CL games are probably us just getting battered so not a huge incentive to stay.

CL football can be a selling point but only if we are investing in the squad.

 

It's nothing to do with MOR. I think this is a great move for him and if I were him I would take it. I will just never agree that Brighton are a bigger club regardless of who moves there or doesn't.

 

Nobody has said that though.

 

The inverted commas still never suggested Brighton are a bigger club than Celtic.

 

Nobody , not even Brighton fans would suggest they are a bigger club I don't know who you are arguing with .

 

He's an ugly * anyway.

 

Apparently Napoli agreed a deal for McTomminay!! Does that mean gilmour deal dead?.

 

I didn't say bigger move and as there is no definitive definition I can make up my own.