Chris Sutton has come to the defence of Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley and shut down the theory that his head has been turned by transfer interest earlier in the season.
O’Riley was the subject of intense speculation in the lead-up to and during the winter transfer window with Celtic’s UEFA Champions League opponents Atletico Madrid said to have tabled a bid for his services.
The Danish international was in incredibly hot form in the first half of the season but hasn’t reached those levels since the winter break.
Some critics have put two and two together, suggesting that the reason for his drop-off is due to that transfer interest and that he is losing the desire to perform for the Bhoys.
Chris Sutton on Matt O’Riley Celtic form
For Sutton, that’s not the case. He wrote in The Daily Record this morning: “There’s been a lot of talk around Matt O’Riley going off the boil in recent weeks and it’s got some Celtic fans jumping to conclusions.
“He must have had his head turned by that Atletico Madrid bid in January. All this stuff about £25million offers in the summer has distracted him and he’s taking his eye off the ball. I’m not buying it.
“Look, it may be the case O’Riley isn’t quite hitting the heights he reached in the first half of the season. It was always going to be tough for him to maintain that level as he set such a high bar. There was going to be a drop off at some point.
“You have to take into account it’s not just O’Riley that’s seen a dip – the entire Celtic team hasn’t clicked often enough since the turn of the year. Or more of the season, in fact. O’Riley hasn’t been helped by the inconsistency of selection either.
“I still believe O’Riley has been one of Celtic’s top performers this season. And I don’t think for a second his form is related to the January transfer talk. If anything, that stuff should inspire him. I don’t think he’ll lose focus. He seems a level headed lad and didn’t throw the toys out of the pram when Celtic refused to sell him.”
There’s every chance that more teams come back in for O’Riley this summer but Celtic will only sell if the price is right. Clearly, Atletico didn’t hit that bar in January.
O’Riley has a contract that runs until 2027 so the Bhoys hold all the cards on his future and Sutton is right, the midfielder has shown no signs of downing tools at Celtic. That’s an unfair criticism.
With 11 goals and 14 assists already this season, O’Riley has been a huge player for the Bhoys and will be pivotal to this run-in if Celtic are going to come out of the campaign with silverware. Let’s hope he can turn it back on.