Matt O'Riley: Brighton agree record deal in principle for Celtic midfielder

Brighton and Celtic have come to an agreement in principle for midfielder Matt O'Riley.

This transfer will break the previous record for the highest amount of money received by a Scottish club, which was £25 million when Jota moved from Celtic to Al Ittihad last year.

Celtic had turned down five offers from Atalanta for O'Riley before. He had scored 19 goals and had 18 assists in the last season. The highest bid from the Italian club was £21.5m plus extras.

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The 23-year-old player from Denmark was signed with Celtic until 2027, and the club rejected a £20m offer from Atletico Madrid earlier this year.

Brighton have already made some significant investments this summer with the acquisition of forward Georginio Rutter for £40m and midfielder Brajan Gruda for approximately £25m.

Celtic's Loss Benefits Brighton

Sky Sports reporters Sahil Jaidka and Alison Conroy:

Many people will talk about O'Riley's transfer from Celtic to Brighton in relation to finances.

It is expected that this transfer will break the current record for the highest fee ever received by a Scottish Premiership team, surpassing Celtic's previous record of £25 million from selling Jota and Kieran Tierney.

Don't be tricked into believing that money is the only thing that O'Riley cares about.

The soccer player from Denmark is calm and focused on getting better at playing, rather than just focusing on making more money.

After completing his training at the Fulham academy, he refused to sign a new contract with his childhood club. Instead, he spent six months practicing in the parks of London with his father before eventually joining MK Dons.

O'Riley made a smart decision that worked out well for him. He scored 10 goals and made eight assists while playing senior football for the League One club at the time.

Therefore, various teams from the Premier League, Championship, and Europe expressed interest in the midfielder. Nevertheless, he ultimately decided to make a move to Celtic in January 2022. So, what made the £1.5m transfer the best choice for him?

He stated that he wouldn't become a member of a club just for the money if the atmosphere and vibe weren't suitable. He emphasized that he's not that type of person.

O'Riley had a quick effect on the team by providing two assists in his first four games. He then scored his first goal for Celtic in a victory against Aberdeen.

The 23-year-old kept progressing. In the following season, he ended with 14 assists and four goals, and then the last season was when he established himself as Celtic's key player.

He scored many goals and helped his teammates score, so Celtic extended his contract for four more years in September. This way, they would be able to receive a high transfer fee when he eventually chose to leave the team.

After O'Riley scored 19 goals and provided 18 assists throughout the season, it came as no shock when he was awarded the player of the year, players' player of the year, and young player of the year at the club.

O'Riley not only scores goals, but he also sets up great opportunities for his teammates and has shown that he can perform well in important games.

Brighton has their sights set on making it into European competition with Fabian Hurzeler at the helm, and having O'Riley on the team could help them reach that goal.

He has demonstrated his ability to perform well in important matches, contributing two assists to his impressive stats from last season in Celtic's unsuccessful Champions League group stage run.

In addition to his strong mentality and exceptional talent, O'Riley also possesses a mindset of a champion. He will depart Celtic with a total of six significant trophies, including three league championships, two Scottish Cups, and one League Cup. The Seagulls will be looking to him to contribute to bringing trophies to their team by the sea.

Celtic faces the challenge of finding a suitable replacement for a player who has had a significant influence. They must look to sign an experienced attacking midfielder in the transfer market to fill the void left by O'Riley in their squad.

Brighton's advantage is definitely Celtic's disadvantage.

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