Best signing ever: Celtic have signed their dream player

Best signing ever: Celtic have signed their dream player

Celtic have gained a strong reputation over the years for developing talented young prospects before selling them on for big profit to European teams.

 

The likes of Virgil van Dijk, who joined Southampton for £13m in 2015, Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama, and Gary Hooper all earned big moves away from Parkhead from the Neil Lennon era.

 

More recently, Kieran Tierney completed a staggering £25m move to Premier League giants Arsenal from the Hoops in the summer of 2019, which made him the most expensive Scottish player in history.

That fee was matched by the one that the Bhoys raked in from Saudi Pro League side Al Ittihad for Portuguese forward Jota, who left for £25m in the summer of 2023.

These sales show that the Hoops have made a habit of raking in huge sums of money for their talents over the years, which suggests that they have created a nurturing environment that allows players to thrive whilst winning trophies for the club.

 

The latest example of their fantastic work in that respect is central midfielder Matt O’Riley, who recently completed a move to Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion.

Celtic’s Matt O’Riley blinder

Former Celtic head coach Ange Postecoglou moved to sign the English-born starlet from League One side MK Dons for a reported fee of £1.5m at the start of 2022.

The 21-year-old central midfielder did not take long to adjust to football in Scotland, with a return of four goals and three assists in 16 Scottish Premiership appearances.

It was immediately clear that the Hoops had struck gold by signing the midfield maestro for a fee of just £1.5m, as he made an instant impact as both a scorer and a creator of goals for the club.

 

O’Riley followed that up with four goals and 14 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants in his first full season under Postecoglou.

 

The 23-year-old star then produced a staggering 19 goals and 18 assists in 49 outings in all competitions for Celtic under Brendan Rodgers last term, with the bulk of those goal contributions coming in the Premiership.