Dream could come true for Celtic Replacement O’Riley in £3 million rival to Bernardo

For Celtic supporters, the end of the transfer window appeared to be nerve-wracking as there was a lot of interest in the deft playmaker Matt O’Riley and much conjecture about his future.

Just half a year prior, the Old Firm heavyweights had to approve the £25 million transfer of Jota, a fan favorite, to Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia due to concerns that the past would happen again if O’Riley was to be stolen in the next few days.

La Liga powerhouse Atletico Madrid has shown interest in the former MK Dons player, who signed a fantastic deal for £1.5 million back in January 2022. The Daily Mail reported on Wednesday that the Spanish team was hoping to sign the Denmark international on an initial loan deal that would include a £20 million obligation to buy in the summer.

According to that source, other Premier League teams may attempt to match that interest in the upcoming week or two. However, Brendan Rodgers has since denied such rumors, stating that he will remain in his current position after turning down an offer from Atleti.

Although the 23-year-old, who was the target of a £10 million summertime bid from Leeds United, is expected to leave before the transfer window closes, it is expected that the “best player in Scotland” at the moment will leave by the end of the season, according to former Celtic manager Neil Lennon.

In light of this, the Premiership team ought to be thinking about how they can take O’Riley’s spot in the middle of the park, whether in January or throughout the summer, and they ought to intensify their pursuit of one noteworthy player.

Possible £3 million transfer for O’Riley to Celtic
Romeo Amane is an Ivorian kid, and the Glasgow team was ‘considering a move’ for him, according to a December report from Football Scotland. The club had dispatched scouts to watch the Hacken midfielder play in the Europa League against Qarabag.

The 20-year-old was ‘fast-tracked up the shortlist’ by the club’s hierarchy, and Celtic were able to acquire their man for a reported sum of just £3 million this month, apparently impressing those at Parkhead.

According to a more recent update from the same source, Rodgers and company are now more likely to target the 5’7″ dynamo in the summer, maybe giving other areas of weakness—such as attack and left-back—priority.

It remains to be seen if that changes in the event of an immediate O’Riley departure, but Amane might be the ideal alternative for the wizard from London in the midfield ranks of the champs.

Romeo Amane’s dramatic style
Some may be of the opinion that Celtic already has Paulo Bernardo ready to step in for the in-demand O’Riley, as the Portuguese talent has started to settle into Scottish football, tallying four goals and three assists in his past three league games.

However, in the absence of Reo Hatate, the 22-year-old has been functioning alongside O’Riley rather than in place of him, meaning that a replacement for the former Fulham youth asset may still need to be found.

Furthermore, since Bernardo is only on a temporary loan from Benfica, it is unlikely that he will decide to sign a contract permanently at the end of the current campaign like his countryman Jota did. This raises the potential that someone like Amane may need to be brought in.

Although the latter man is still somewhat obscure, his brilliant skill was only just discovered when he and Odin Thiago Holm were named to the European Golden Boy award list for 2023, which features the top U21 prospects on the continent.

Despite being much smaller in stature than the six-foot-two O’Riley, the Ivorian seems to possess the same ability to influence play at the top of the pitch; in 61 games for the Swedish team thus far, he has six assists and four goals.

This comeback may be a long way from the Atleti target’s 46 goal involvements in 101 games for the Bhoys, but Amane has three years left on the man he may replace, so there’s still plenty of time for him to grow under Rodgers’ guidance.

The stats for Matt O’Riley’s season
Undoubtedly, O’Riley’s will be challenging to fill given that the one-cap Denmark international finished the season with ten goals and seven assists in just 21 league games. Notably, he also produced three assists in his meager six Champions League group stage outings.

Because the £14,000-per-week star has “proven himself at the highest level” in Europe’s top tournament, clubs all over the continent are naturally taking a closer look at him, as Lennon pointed out.

Celtic’s number 33 is particularly impressive because of his creative ability. According to Sofascore, he has averaged 2.6 crucial passes per game and produced six “big chances” for his teammates in the Premiership this season.

That’s a lot to live up to, but Amane has demonstrated he is headed in the right direction. In the Swedish top division in 2023, he generated three “big chances” and averaged 1.4 critical passes; his pass accuracy rate of 86% was actually higher than O’Riley’s 86%.

This poise with the ball has also blended well with his performance off the ball; in the Allsvenskan, the talented player averages 1.8 tackles, 1.8 interceptions, and 5.3 balls recovered per game. In that context, O’Riley is just somewhat superior, averaging 2.6 and 6.7 for those same two criteria, respectively.

Of course, selecting Amane from Sweden may have been a bit of a gamble, and some may have insisted on a more tried-and-true choice, but it was undoubtedly a risk that paid off in acquiring O’Riley from England’s third division.

Although it would be best if the latter man stayed on to continue serving as Rodgers’ leader past this month and the summer window, Amane would be a suitable successor should a departure seem imminent.