Celtic and Brighton have both confirmed that transfer agreement for Matt O’Riley has been concluded and that Matt is now officially a Brighton and Hove Albion player…
Celtic have received a transfer fee of £26m with an additional £4m of add-ons on top so it appears to be a great deal for all parties concerned. Brighton bringing in a top quality player who is destined for the very top and Celtic achieving a record breaking Scottish transfer fee for a player purchased for just £1.5m in January 2022.
Speaking to the official Brighton website, Matt gave some insight into the transfer, and it looks like Atalanta were wasting their time all along.
The Italian club never got Celtic interested with their five low-ball bids and it seems that Matt had his mind set on joining Brighton all along after a conversation with their manager a few months ago.
“I’m very, very happy. It’s definitely taken a while. It got a little bit stressful over the last couple of weeks if I’m honest. The talks were ongoing for a good couple of months. I’m just really happy to be here,” Matt said.
“It was a good while ago. I spoke to the manager on the phone and he did a really good job of selling the club. He told me where I’d fit in in terms of the structure. I spoke to a lot of people about the whole feel of the place and the people. I got the impression was really nice. That’s something I like being a part of.
“He didn’t just butter me up like he could have done. There were other clubs looking at me. He was just brutally honest about what he could help me with and what I could improve on. I’m someone who likes to improve a lot,” Matt O’Riley said.
On leaving Celtic Matt had this to say: “It’s hard. I think people don’t realise how big the club is until you get up there. It’s a real family club. It’s a very unique place in terms of the passion the fans have, that’s something I’ve never experienced before.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. I’m still a little bit emotional speaking about it because I have such good memories there. I just felt like the right time for a new challenge for me. I only leave with fond memories.”
