Rodgers confirms Atletico’s O’Riley bid rejected

Celtic had been braced for bids for the highly-rated midfielder this month amid interest from clubs across Europe including current LaLiga leaders Girona and Inter Milan, who sit second in Serie A.Sky Sports News understands the offer from Atletico was an initial loan plus an obligation to buy.

Rodgers said: “There was that, but Matt is a player we don’t want to lose and he won’t be going anywhere in January.

“It’s a great testament to him and what the club can do for a player. He won his first international cap this season and Atletico Madrid are a big club in European football.

“He is very much part of what we are doing. He has been a joy to work with.”

O’Riley’s last Celtic goal came at St Mirren before the winter break

The Hoops boss said he spoke to the influential midfielder following the bid, and the 23-year-old was happy to continue his development with Celtic.

“I had a chat with Matt this morning,” the manager said.

“One of the things I’ve always been impressed with is Matt’s mentality. How he approaches his profession and obviously the respect he has here for Celtic.

“We had an opportunity in the summer but he was happy to extend here, which is great.

“Atletico Madrid is a big club but he obviously knows he’s in a great place here.

“He’s really kicked on this season in his progression and he wants to continue with that.”

“For us, we’ve got no want to sell, we’ve got no need to, and he’ll be here for the second half of the season.”

O’Riley joined Celtic from MK Dons in 2022 on a four-year deal before agreeing a new contract last October that runs until 2027.

Rodgers did not reveal the details of Atletico’s offer, only that it fell short of how much Celtic rate O’Riley.

“You have a value of the player, certainly what has come in for Matt in the time I’ve been here is nowhere near the valuation and quality of player that he is,” he added.

“Even if it was, we’re in a position where we don’t want to sell.

“It’s great. It shows you that players are developing and a club like Atletico Madrid coming in for you shows you that you’re doing something right.”

The Celtic midfielder excels across a raft of stats and ranks behind only Rangers full-back James Tavernier in the Sky Sports Power Rankings for the Scottish Premiership this season.

No player in the league has scored more goals from open play, won more possession in the final third or made more touches in the opposition box this term, while the 23-year-old also ranks behind only team-mate Luis Palma for assists.

The graphic below reveals how the Denmark international is typically more prolific from right-of-centre areas and frequently gets into goalscoring positions in and around the six-yard box – but also isn’t shy of taking a shot from distance.

In terms of creativity, O’Riley is prolific from corners and from just outside the box in his centre-right region with through balls and raking passes.

The maps below highlight the midfielder’s all-round contribution with touches spanning the entire pitch, with greater concentrations of activity and defensive actions down his right-hand side.

In terms of passing, O’Riley is most active just inside the opposition half and byline, while also drifting into central areas outside the D. The direction and accuracy sonar also reveals how the midfielder is ambitious with forward passes.

O’Riley is arguably Celtic’s standout performer and has been on the radar of rival powerhouse clubs for some time. The radar graphic below summarises why: he ranks in Europe’s top five per cent for almost every key attacking metric.

The winter transfer window is now open and will close at 11pm in England and midnight in Scotland on Thursday 1 February.

To ensure harmonisation with the major leagues in Europe, the closing dates were set following discussions with the EFL, DFL, Serie A, LaLiga, and LFP, who will all close their summer and winter windows on 1 September and 1 February respectively.

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