‘Excellent technician’: Celtic have a ‘beast’ of a footballer, according to Russell Martin

Southampton manager, Russell Martin, has advised of how he is a big fan of Celtic midfielder, Matt O’Riley, as he nears his first worldwide cap for Denmark.

O’Riley was called up once more to the senior Denmark squad but has, so far, failed to win his first cap for the country. But Martin recollects the time he located the 22-year-old at MK Dons and it appears that even now O’Riley is at Celtic, he is nonetheless a large admirer of the youngster.

Martin said [The Herald Sport pullout print edition page 6], “I ought to see proper away that Matt was once a notable footballer. He is an definitely terrific technician. Let me inform you some thing about Matt: his mentality used to be straight out of the top drawer. At MK Dons he used to be each manager’s dream.

“He was the consummate professional in his preparation. He was once honestly into that and the recuperation aspect of the game. He was once a real pupil of soccer and used to be genuinely interested in how he ought to take his game to the subsequent level and be the high-quality he should be.

“He is bodily a beast too. I said when he first signed for Celtic that he would be one of the first-rate players in the Scottish Premiership and I am delighted for him that he has confirmed that assertion to be correct.

“He’s grown into his function at Celtic and tailored to Scottish football so well. It is no longer hindsight or being clever after the event, I continually knew he would.”

Matt O’Riley’s top notch Celtic career so far

Signed by Ange Postecoglou for £1.5m in January 2022, O’Riley arrived in Scotland as an unknown midfielder with many Celtic followers questioning how he would suit into the team.

Those questions were rapidly answered as he made his debut towards Hearts at Tynecastle when O’Riley set up the winner with a super help in the 2-1 win in the capital.

O’Riley used to be additionally one of the high-quality players on the pitch when Celtic annihilated Rangers 3-0 the following month to go top of the league the place they couldn’t be shifted.

With a league title in the bag, O’Riley used to be searching forward to Champions League football for the first time in his career. And he didn’t look out of place.

In fact, O’Riley was so blissful in a Celtic jersey when Callum McGregor was injured, the 22-year-old stepped into the Hoops captain position and ensured that domestically, Celtic remained unbeaten.

As for his time under Brendan Rodgers, O’Riley’s game has been taken to the subsequent stage as he’s now becoming one of Celtic’s first-rate gamers as he mixes it with Europe’s elite with club and country.

What next for Matt O’Riley at Celtic?

After signing a new deal in the summer, and 4 trophies to his name, Celtic have managed to stave off any hopes of golf equipment from England hoping to steal the talented midfielder.

But that hasn’t stopped the hypothesis surrounding him. Linked recently with Crystal Palace, O’Riley is also attracting the interest of the likes of Newcastle, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.

Recently valued at nicely over £10m by using a current football study, it appears that when O’Riley does finally cross on, Celtic will receive a hefty switch fee for his services.

Brendan Rodgers gives you Matt O’Riley verdict at Celtic

The Celtic boss is a big fan of O’Riley. Since coming to Celtic in the summer, Rodgers wasted no time in telling O’Riley what he have to do to take his game to the subsequent level. And he hasn’t disappointed.

With six desires and seven assists, the Denmark u21 worldwide has been implausible for Celtic this season.

Rodgers himself has said of the midfielder, “But with Matty, I’m so, so comfortable for him [after signing a new deal].

“He gets out of the sport what he puts into it, he’s so professional, he has huge quality, and like I said when I got here in, we simply wished to get more dreams into his game.

“In fairness to him, his timing and his finishing is quality. It used to be a huge goal. He will only get better, he is only 22.”

Shining once more in this season’s Champions League, it is solely a count of time before one of the clubs from Europe comes and tempt O’Riley away from Celtic.

But until then, the Celtic fans will experience the teenager as he has been one of the standout players at the club over the past two seasons.

The verdict of Liam Scales as the Celtic defender faces a challenging Dutch attack in Amsterdam

Celtic defender Liam Scales will be disappointed that his Republic of Ireland side suffered their today’s defeat away to the Netherlands on Saturday night time however he got here through the 90 minutes with private credit.

Scales lined up in a central back-three, supported by wing-backs, as Dutch boss Ronald Koeman fielded an elite attack of Wout Weghorst, Cody Gakpo and Xavi Simons.

Weghorst’s purpose after 12 minutes was once sufficient to tightly closed the 1-0 victory they needed to verify their qualification for next year’s Euros.

That came as a end result of some ramshackle Irish defending with Nathan Collins fended off by using Weghorst a ways too easily, who turned, sprinted and finished with aplomb.

Ireland faced extreme strain all through the relaxation of the ninety minutes but Scales confirmed bravery and defensive resilience to assist forestall a heavier defeat, with goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu also taking part in a big role.

A busy night time for Liam Scales vs Netherlands

The 25-year-old made some quintessential interventions all through the qualifying fixture, perhaps most extraordinarily to flip away a complicated Denzel Dumfries ball into the field in the 35th minute that had Weghorst waiting to pounce for his second.

Overall he had 70 touches of the ball and his distribution used to be ordinarily crisp and accurate, with 89% completion. In contrast to his Celtic performances, however, he didn’t get a great deal probability to development into the opposition half.

He gained six of his 9 duels contested, all of which came on the ground. He successfully gained four of five tackles, made two interceptions and a clearance.

There used to be one demanding second in the 2nd 1/2 when he clashed heads with Simons. For a second it looked as if he may have to go off however he received to his toes and soldiered on as the Irish similarly pissed off the Dutch.

As Scales, and the rest of the Irish defence tired, with their teammates pushing for an equaliser, there used to be a fair bit of space for the domestic side to exploit but Southampton goalkeeper Bazunu was there to preserve firm.

The Celtic man, whose FotMob rating got here in at 7.1, has accomplished his possibilities of prevailing greater caps in an Ireland shirt no harm at all, even if Ireland determine to part ways with Stephen Kenny and are trying to find a new supervisor at the quit of a disappointing qualifying campaign.

Rangers are ‘ahead’ of Manchester City in the market for a Scottish starlet in January, joining Celtic in the race

Celtic continued their dominant run in the Scottish Premiership with a large 6-0 win over Aberdeen last weekend.

Rangers also banked a win over Livingston however the hole between the two Glasgow aspects at the pinnacle of the desk stays at eight points.

The Gers have some floor to make up if they want to put strain on Celtic and the January transfer window could play a massive part in each teams’ performances in the new year..

Rangers overtake Man City for midfielder

Rangers are reportedly now ‘ahead’ of Manchester City in the pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s Noah Mbamba in January. The Gers are prepared to back new manager Philippe Clement in the January switch as they focus on chasing down Celtic for this season’s title.

According to TEAMtalk, Man City are now ‘unlikely’ to approach Mbamba this winter and ought to as a substitute favour a summer move, which opens the door for Rangers. A mortgage deal until the give up of the season has been said as the most likely, which would gain Gers and also give the 18-year-old everyday playing time.

Mbamba is a famous rising famous person right now and is said to be wanted with the aid of a number of top clubs. He is a midfielder via alternate but has additionally been operating at centre-back this season.

Celtic and Rangers fighting for equal target

Another document from TEAMtalk has linked each Celtic and Rangers to Motherwell starlet Lennon Miller. The 17-year-old has been identified as one of Scotland’s most promising younger players and notwithstanding these days penning a new deal, he is attracting a lot of interest.

As well as Motherwell’s league rivals, English golf equipment are additionally maintaining an eye on Miller. Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Brighton, Newcastle, Brentford and West Ham are all reportedly keeping tabs on the rising star. This type of pastime affords a large predicament involving his future and the place he sees the satisfactory opportunities to grow.

Jota regrets leaving Celtic; January departure is likely

FORMER Celtic star Jota is reportedly experiencing remorseful about over his go to Al-Ittihad in the Saudi Pro League, following limited taking part in time and struggles to fit into the team.

According to a report from Saudi outlet So3ody Sports, Jota is eager to make a return to European football and might get his risk in the upcoming January transfer window.

Marcelo Gallardo, set to exchange Nuno Espirito Santo as manager of Al-Ittihad, is reportedly open to allowing Jota to depart on loan.

The report suggests that Jota regrets his decision to depart Celtic, the place he had widespread success, for the profitable provide in the Saudi Pro League. The lack of normal sport time and the distinctive footballing surroundings in Saudi Arabia show up to have contributed to his dissatisfaction.

Al-Ittihad are reportedly thinking about a mortgage pass for Jota, with a choice for him to remain in the Middle East, ideally at some other Saudi club. This strategy targets to help him progress and adapt to the footballing style of the region, which ought to doubtlessly see a return on their large investment in the player.

Glen Kamara discusses about ex-Celtic star who assisted in Rangers’ transfer exit

Glen Kamara has revealed that a former Celtic player helped him in his cross away from Rangers in the summer.

The Finland midfielder joined Leeds United for a rate of around £5m.

He departed Ibrox after 4 and a 1/2 years at the club the place he received the Premiership and Scottish Cup.<img class=”size-full wp-image-77 aligncenter” src=”https://topsport4u.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Untitled-design-2023-11-15T191141.099.png.article-642.jpg” alt=”” width=”642″ height=”428″ />

Michael Beale iced over the midfielder out of the first-team photo at the club, and so it became exceptionally clear he would move on to pastures new as he entered the ultimate yr of his contract.

And it has now come to mild that his fellow countryman Teemu Pukki, who performed for Celtic between 2013 and 2015, helped with the move.

Speaking on the Official Leeds United Podcast, Kamara admitted that the striker gave him plenty of helpful recommendation as he viewed the place his subsequent cross must be.

Pukki pointed him closer to Elland Road having worked with boss Daniel Farke until now at Norwich City.

Kamara said: “The first couple of weeks (at Leeds) it used to be quite hard. I was once simply getting my fitness returned and I hadn’t performed a lot. I used to be type of training on my own away from Rangers, so it used to be quite tough. But it’s excellent now and I’m feeling settled.

“Yeah, he (Pukki) messaged me as well, all and sundry does their due diligence at all of the clubs. He messaged me and had a word with me. He solely had precise matters to say about the manager. I used to be like okay, I’m excited and after I spoke to the manager, it simply validated what he (Pukki) said.”

He was once then asked if there was more still to come from him in a Leeds shirt. He replied: “Yeah, with greater game time and that. Like I stated I had pretty a f***** up pre-season in itself and I experience like I am getting again to myself and taking part in more games than I have over the ultimate year.”
<h3>Celtic and Rangers are on high alert when a Super League rebel warns them, while Atletico Madrid light the fuse for a controversial rebirth with an EPL jab</h3>
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The controversial plans have been muted in latest times but a large verdict is coming earlier than the end of 2023.

Atletico Madrid are stoking the flames for a dramatic Super League revival bid as Judgement Day rolls into view.

Both Celtic and Rangers have been cited when it comes to dramatic plans that would alter the football landscape. Earlier this year,Record Sport revealed the Premiership pair were on the the hitlist of a breakaway assignment powered through Real Madrid, Juventus and Barcelona. Both have been last loyal to UEFA but Bernd Reichart – the chief of the ESL’s company A22 – has made pitches to golf equipment across Europe.

He claims to have had talks with Scottish clubs, however, UEFA reprisals had him stopping brief of naming who. On December 21st, The European Court of Justice will have its final say on the validity of a European Super League, as the rebels claim UEFA and FIFA were breaking competition law by using threatening club sanctions.

12 European clubs put their ESL plans into motion returned in 2021 however were met via livid backlash, and the Premier League clubs pulling out put paid to any advances. But Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has now claimed it is a plan that ought to have been recommended to Spain.

He insists that with the breakaway league no longer being created, England’s top desk has been in a position to steal a march on signing the world’s pinnacle talent. He concedes it needs English assist to be viable.

Cerezo told Onda Cero: “I assume the Super League is excellent for Spanish football. With there being no Super League, the English have won.

“The Financial Fair Play used to be not fixed, and it benefits them. The proof being that they have taken all the high-quality players. Atletico left because we didn’t choose UEFA to sanction us. and without the English teams, there used to be no way to continue.”
<h3>Celtic were given a second chance to sign a £4 million striker who scored 19 goals last season</h3>
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<strong>Celtic ought to have a 2nd hazard to convey in Sydney van Hooijdonk in the January transfer window as Bologna are ready to think about presents for the Serie A misfit. </strong>

With the Dutchman already going through an uphill struggle setting up himself as Bologna’s range one centre-forward, he certainly may want to have performed without Joshua Zirkzee rediscovering the golden contact which had Manuel Neuer singing his praises at Bayern Munich a couple of years ago.

Zirkzee has been in phenomenal shape of late. Almost Berbatov-esque with his poise and finesse in the closing third. As such, a January departure appears to be the only option left handy to Sydney van Hooijdonk if the Celtic linked striker is to avoid spending the entirety of the season stuck on the sidelines.

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<strong>Celtic like Sydney van Hooijdonk</strong>

Van Hooijdonk, son of former Hoops ace Pierre as you would possibly have guessed, has no longer commenced a single Serie A game in 2023/24. In fact, he’s only played 41 minutes in Italy’s top flight.

And with Bologna eyeing Porto’s former West Ham United prospect Toni Martinez, Gazzetta dello Sport are indicating that Van Hoojdonk should be allowed to depart in pursuit of extra regular action. Opportunity knocks for Celtic, then. Though whether or not Brendan Rodgers’ Premiership leaders revisit their £4 million-rated summer season goal remains to be considered (Il Resto del Carlino).

With Kyogo Furuhashi firmly established as Celtic’s number one through the middle and with Oh Hyeon-Gyu providing respectable depth in reserve, it is actually difficult to envisage a state of affairs in which Van Hooijdonk follows in his father’s footsteps and right away nails down a spot in Rodgers’ first XI.

<strong>19 dreams in one season at Heerenveen</strong>

Then again, a transient spell at Heerenveen in 2022/23 is proof of what Van Hooijdonk can do when given regular minutes and ordinary service. An old-school, broad-shouldered throwback of a number nine, the Dutchman scored 19 instances in a mid-table Eredivisie outfit, and would sincerely delight in the pigging out at a table waited on via the likes of Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma.