Unattainable Chris Sutton ends the £25 million Celtic head turn discussion

Matt O’Riley, a midfielder for Celtic, has come under fire from Chris Sutton, who refutes the rumor that O’Riley was swayed by transfer interest early in the season.

O’Riley was the focus of a lot of rumours before and throughout the winter transfer season, with Atletico Madrid, Celtic’s opponents in the UEFA Champions League, reportedly putting in a bid for his services.

The Danish international hasn’t played at the same level since the winter break, despite being in incredible form during the first part of the season.

Several critics have connected the dots, speculating that his decline could be attributed to his interest in transferring and his diminished motivation to play for the Bhoys.

Chris Sutton on the Celtic form of Matt O’Riley

Sutton disagrees with that. “There has been a lot of talk about Matt O’Riley going off the boil in recent weeks, and it’s got some Celtic fans jumping to conclusions,” he wrote in The Daily Record this morning.

That January bid from Atletico Madrid must have turned his head. His attention is being diverted by all of this talk about £25 million proposals in the summer. That doesn’t sit well with me.

“Well, it’s possible that O’Riley isn’t performing to the same level as he did in the first half of the season. Keeping up that caliber was always going to be difficult for him since he had such high expectations. At some time, there was going to be a drop off.

“You have to remember that not only has Riley suffered a setback, but the Celtic team as a whole hasn’t played well enough since the beginning of the season. or, more precisely, the season. The inconsistent choice hasn’t benefited O’Riley either.

ADDITIONAL CELTIC STORIES
John Hughes highlights the impending “huge boost” for Celtics.
Maik Nawrocki’s Celtics status is updated, and Brendan Rodgers provides a squad report on three additional
Brendan Rodgers, the manager of Celtic, responds to criticism directed at Chris Sutton.
Celtic makes a thoughtful gesture for fans affected by the current Ibrox debacle.
Carter-Vickers returns, but Celtic’s unfortunate streak of injuries continues ahead of St Johnstone.

“I continue to think that O’Riley has been among Celtics’ best players this year. Furthermore, I have no doubt that his form has nothing to do with the transfer rumors from January. That material should motivate him, if anything. He won’t likely become distracted. When Celtic declined to sell him, he didn’t toss the toys out of the stroller, demonstrating his maturity.