Matt O'Riley

This guy sounds really mature and very honest for a 21 year old.

 

"Dons" very well done there admin

 

No triple signing? Nicholson out imo.

 

Sounds like a humble, grounded young fellow. Looking forward to this one!

 

Refreshing to hear that money wasnt the incentive here, also the fact that listening to the manager had him sold !! Well in ange !

 

Very welcome.

 

Can't wait to see O'Riley, Hatate and McGregor playing balls for Kyogo, Jota and Maeda's runs.

 

Handsome boy

 

Really excited by this one.

Central midfield is sorted for the next 10-100 years.

Left back, center back, attacking mid/winger and sign Jota and CCV permanently and we're winning the Champions League

 

Like everyone else in football, Matt O’Riley was already well aware of Celtic’s size and stature as a club, so the prospect of signing for the Hoops was one that excited him.

And after just one phone-call with Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou, the 21-year-old midfielder was ready to pack his bags and head to Paradise.

O’Riley has joined on a four-and-a-half-year deal with the club, subject to international clearance, becoming Celtic’s fifth signing of the January transfer window, and the former MK Dons player can’t wait to link up with his new team-mates.

Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, the new Bhoy said: “It feels amazing. It’s the first time taking the stadium in and it’s even better than I thought it would be and, to put it simply, I’m just really happy to be here. It’s a massive club and I’m just really excited to get going.

“There were other options, ones that I thought were the only ones before Celtic, and then Celtic came out of the blue, to be fair.

"I found out quite late, and then I had a phone-call with Ange. He came across really, really well and he was the one who really sold it to me.

“Obviously the club itself is massive, but just speaking to him really sorted it out for me. With the style he plays, and all that surrounds it, and him as a person, as soon as I got off the phone I was ready to come, to be honest.”




O’Riley began his professional career with Fulham, making his first-team debut at the age of just 16, and he established some Celtic connections during his time with the club, which included working with Hoops legend, Peter Grant, and playing alongside former Celts, Stefan Johansen and Patrick Roberts.

“Peter Grant coached me during my time at Fulham in the Under-23s,” O’Riley explained. “He’s a really nice guy and he helped me develop during my time at Fulham.

“Pat (Patrick Roberts), I went to school with. He’s a little bit older than me so we didn’t speak much but at the time he was someone I looked up to at Fulham. He was doing really well at the time, so that’s another one for the storybooks.

“I got to know Stef too, so I’m good mates with all of them, but it just shows you that a club like Celtic can attract players like Stef and Pat, and Peter of course, and it’s nice to just follow the same route as such.”

And in being completely sold on the club after his conversation with Ange Postecoglou, the midfielder admitted that it was the style of football Celtic are playing which was so appealing.

“That’s another thing that was massive in terms of my decision to come here,” O’Riley admitted. “I always said that I wouldn’t just join a club if they paid me a certain amount of money if the style wasn’t right. I’m not that kind of guy. The style is right here and, again, that’s one of the main reasons why I’ve come.

'Ange said to me on the phone that, of course, we want to win – the expectation is to win – but win the right way, win by playing proper football and that’s what I came here to do.'

“The big stage is what I want as a player and that’s one of the main reasons I’ve come here – the fanbase, the size of the club.

“I mean, 40,000 sounds like a lot to me, so the fact that it’s close to 60,000 people here is pretty incredible and it’s something I’m really excited about.”

 

Brilliant. Held off posting about this boy due to our recent luck with Rileys....however he's here, Ange's plan and squad is taking shape beautifully. All the best big man. Handsome * suits the Hoops nicely.

 

Comes across class to be honest. Very well spoken..

Great to have a quality, ambitious boy coming for the right reason's..

Think he's gonna be a hit with the young lassies as well..

Think he's a certainty for game time at the weekend to get him up and ready for Rogic going away..

 

We were very threadbare in midfield, especially in Callum McGregors usual position. We've strengthened very nicely in this window. Ange is identifying targets and the board are actually signing them up, sounds so simple but as we know this hasn't been the case for many years at Celtic. There has been too much interference from the likes of Lawell and players being signed that clearly were not on the say so of the manager. Things appear to be operating far better on and off the pitch, long may it continue.

 

nice wee fella

 

Every single signing we make mentions how a phone call from Ange completely sold them on the club. Charismastic * isn't he?

 

Yet another signing I'm buzzing about. This guy is no mug, easily to good for the league he was playing in. Very impressed with the signings we've made.

Welcome Matt

 

After telling the media last week he wouldn’t sell the club to anyone…after McGree turned us down! Caught lying again!