Matt O’Riley’s future is still unclear as his ‘expected’ move to Brighton seems to have quietened a little the past 48 hours.
It was reported that the clubs were in talks with the Seagulls over a record breaking move, but so far there seems to be no indication of any deal progressing at the moment.
Tomorrow’s clash at Easter Road against Hibs will tell us more about Matt’s future at the club than any media speculation. If Matt doesn’t start the game or is out the squad altogether then you can take it as gospel that he will be leaving soon.
Our club loves nothing more than a big incoming fee being transferred into their already bulging bank account, and there ain’t no way that they are going to jeopardise that.
There’s still a small ray of light among some Celtic supporters that Matt will stay it would be absolutely terrific if he did, but tomorrow will shed a little more light on that. Let’s all pray that Matt is in that starting lineup.
Judging from what Brendan Rodgers was saying yesterday at his media conference, which was attended by The Celtic Star where we asked Brendan about recruiting quality to compete in the Champions League, there was a strong indication that he’d be starting with roughly the same team tomorrow as line-up last weekend against Kilmarnock.
Brendan said: “I think at this stage of the season – between now and the international break – there’s arguably not too many changes to your team anyway. It’s more when you get in after the international break and then you’re through into European football where you make changes. Not too many, though, because you want consistency in the team but you’re trying to maybe make a few changes or pick a certain player for a certain game. At this stage of the season, even if we had the squad that we wanted at this point in time, there still might not have been many changes, because if you’re winning, working and playing well, then you might not need to.”
Perhaps Daizen Maeda could start as he is now fit after his knee knock suffered in the 4-1 win over Chelsea in the United States, but he’s likely to be on the bench for the same again Celts.
Unless there’s an ominous development of the Matt O’Riley transfer.
Just an Ordinary Bhoy
