The talented magician in the midfield has been a gold mine for the Hoops.
Over the years, Celtic has developed a practice of acquiring promising young players and then turning a profit on them once they have contributed to the team’s on-field accomplishments.
After being developed at Parkhead, players like Odsonne Edouard, Jota, Moussa Dembele, and Virgil van Dijk were among those who were sold for large sums of money, according to Transfermarkt.
Jota was sold to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad last summer in a £25m deal, which made him the joint-most expensive sale in club history alongside Kieran Tierney’s £25m move to Arsenal in 2019.
That record might not last for very long, as journalist Anthony Joseph recently disclosed on The Celtic Exchange Podcast (02/02/2024) that Celtic is seeking a club-record price for Matt O’Riley and that a valuation of up to £30 million might be in the works.
How much Celtic paid for O’Riley
For a reported £1.5 million in January 2022, the Scottish powerhouses struck gold when they swooped to sign the gifted young midfielder from English League One side MK Dons.
He had produced seven goals and five assists in 26 third tier appearances during the first half of that season, and arrived as somewhat of a gamble for the Hoops.
The Danish wizard did exactly that, even though there was no assurance he could carry over his form from the English third division to the Scottish premiership.
In the second half of that season, O’Riley scored four goals and provided two assists in 16 Scottish Premiership games. The previous season, he scored three goals and provided twelve assists in 38 league games for the team.
O’Riley’s current record valuation
As previously mentioned, Joseph disclosed that O’Riley is valued by Celtic at a record fee of up to £30 million, despite interest from Leeds and Atletico Madrid at different times during the season.
His market value has increased by an incredible 1,900% from the £1.5 million the club paid to sign him away from MK Dons, according to that £30 million valuation. It will be interesting to see if any teams choose to pay that amount in the summer to acquire his services.
This season, he has been in incredible form for Celtic in the Premiership, and his attacking contributions may make him a desirable target for teams, as the magician possesses the ability to regularly influence games.
As the aforementioned table shows, O’Riley leads the current team in several crucial offensive metrics, which amply demonstrates how crucial he is to Brendan Rodgers as a goal scorer and creator.
Consequently, it makes sense that Celtic values him at a record price because of his importance to their offensive strategy and playmaking as a central midfielder.
The 23-year-old Danish international still has a lot of growth and development ahead of him, so any potential purchasers would be getting an excellent performer with room to grow.
He has been an important player on the pitch and, as such, a very valuable asset ahead of the summer transfer window. Celtic struck gold when they signed him from MK Dons at the beginning of 2022, and a club-record sale for the exciting maestro may be in the works.
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