Ryan Christie has joined AFC Bournemouth in a deal worth around £2.5m. The 26-year-old had just months remaining on his deal at Celtic Park and efforts to extend this failed resulting in the player being able to discuss potential moves away. Now, the South Coast side have confirmed that they have signed the attacking midfielder.
The deal was agreed while Christie was on International duty with Scotland ahead of tomorrow night’s game against Denmark.
Celtic had held discussions with the playmaker’s representatives but a decision appears to have been made as Christie was free to leave for nothing as early as January. The player appears to have decoded to go to join Scott Parker’s Cherries in order to seek promotion back to the top flight.
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.
We are witnessing the breaking up of a record breaking Celtic team with players that were pivotal, such as Kris Ajer, Christie and Odsonne Edouard leaving this window with Club legend Scott Brown. The club are in the middle of a rebuild and Christie appeared to be desperate to get out last year and who could blame him. However, this year, it looked as if he could be a star player under Postecoglou but alas he has agreed to move to England. The move to Bournemouth will likely be a lifestyle choice as well as a footballing one, there will be less pressure in the South Coast of England but he will likely have the carrot of Premier League football to push him on the pitch.
Best of luck in England, Ryan.