Former Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie has confirmed that there have been no contract talks with Bournemouth as he enters his final twelve months on his deal. The Scotland midfielder is enjoying life on the South Coast of England and insists that his focus is on impressing new boss Andoni Iraola.
Speaking to The Daily Echo, the 28-year-old revealed that he is settled both on and off the pitch at The Cherries.
“No discussions yet, but I’m more than happy. Especially with the baby now, I love living in Bournemouth. It’s a great place to stay and my family is nice and settled as well.
“I’m not really thinking about that right now. Obviously, the pre-season is pretty tough, so you just need to get the head down and keep working hard. My main hope is to impress the new boss as much as I can.mIf that leads to talks about a new contract, so be it. I’ll be looking forward to that hopefully.”
Ryan Christie of Scotland runs with the ball whilst under pressure from Oleksandr Tymchyk of Ukraine during the UEFA Nations League League B Group 1 match between Ukraine and Scotland at Stadion im Jozefa Pilsudskiego on September 27, 2022 in Krakow, Poland. (Photo by Adam Nurkiewicz/Getty Images)
Christie was a mainstay in the Celtic sides that won the Treble Treble and Quadruple Treble and leaves to join the Championship club having scored 41 goals and 45 assists in 151 appearances for Celtic.
Celtic had held discussions with the playmaker’s representatives but the player wanted to test himself in English football. Since moving to Bournemouth, Christie helped the club to promotion from the Championship – which earned Celtic an additional £1m in add-ons – and then helped consolidate their place in the Premier League. In that time, Christie has made 75 appearances, scoring 5 times and assisting on 9 occasions.
Stuart Armstrong and Ryan Christie. Photo: Richard Lee/Sportimage
Best of luck to Ryan Christie and his best mate, the former Celtic midfielder Stuart Armstrong whose future at Southampton is also uncertain. Both have had success in a Celtic jersey but neither is likely to make a return to Paradise.