33 # Matt O'Riley / Mittelfeld
Verfasst: Do 20. Jan 2022, 22:43Matt O'Riley: Signing for Celtic was an easy decision after speaking to Ange
Like everyone else in football, Matt O’Riley was already well aware of Celtic’s size and stature as a club, so the prospect of signing for the Hoops was one that excited him. And after just one phone-call with Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou, the 21-year-old midfielder was ready to pack his bags and head to Paradise. O’Riley has joined on a four-and-a-half-year deal with the club, subject to international clearance, becoming Celtic’s fifth signing of the January transfer window, and the former MK Dons player can’t wait to link up with his new team-mates.
Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, the new Bhoy said: “It feels amazing. It’s the first time taking the stadium in and it’s even better than I thought it would be and, to put it simply, I’m just really happy to be here. It’s a massive club and I’m just really excited to get going. There were other options, ones that I thought were the only ones before Celtic, and then Celtic came out of the blue, to be fair. I found out quite late, and then I had a phone-call with Ange. He came across really, really well and he was the one who really sold it to me. Obviously the club itself is massive, but just speaking to him really sorted it out for me. With the style he plays, and all that surrounds it, and him as a person, as soon as I got off the phone I was ready to come, to be honest.”
O’Riley began his professional career with Fulham, making his first-team debut at the age of just 16, and he established some Celtic connections during his time with the club, which included working with Hoops legend, Peter Grant, and playing alongside former Celts, Stefan Johansen and Patrick Roberts.
“Peter Grant coached me during my time at Fulham in the Under-23s,” O’Riley explained. “He’s a really nice guy and he helped me develop during my time at Fulham. Pat (Patrick Roberts), I went to school with. He’s a little bit older than me so we didn’t speak much but at the time he was someone I looked up to at Fulham. He was doing really well at the time, so that’s another one for the storybooks. I got to know Stef too, so I’m good mates with all of them, but it just shows you that a club like Celtic can attract players like Stef and Pat, and Peter of course, and it’s nice to just follow the same route as such.”
And in being completely sold on the club after his conversation with Ange Postecoglou, the midfielder admitted that it was the style of football Celtic are playing which was so appealing.
“That’s another thing that was massive in terms of my decision to come here,” O’Riley admitted. “I always said that I wouldn’t just join a club if they paid me a certain amount of money if the style wasn’t right. I’m not that kind of guy. The style is right here and, again, that’s one of the main reasons why I’ve come. Ange said to me on the phone that, of course, we want to win – the expectation is to win – but win the right way, win by playing proper football and that’s what I came here to do. The big stage is what I want as a player and that’s one of the main reasons I’ve come here – the fanbase, the size of the club. I mean, 40,000 sounds like a lot to me, so the fact that it’s close to 60,000 people here is pretty incredible and it’s something I’m really excited about.”
Celtic TV - First Interview with new Bhoy Matt O'Riley
Like everyone else in football, Matt O’Riley was already well aware of Celtic’s size and stature as a club, so the prospect of signing for the Hoops was one that excited him. And after just one phone-call with Celtic manager, Ange Postecoglou, the 21-year-old midfielder was ready to pack his bags and head to Paradise. O’Riley has joined on a four-and-a-half-year deal with the club, subject to international clearance, becoming Celtic’s fifth signing of the January transfer window, and the former MK Dons player can’t wait to link up with his new team-mates.
Speaking exclusively to Celtic TV, the new Bhoy said: “It feels amazing. It’s the first time taking the stadium in and it’s even better than I thought it would be and, to put it simply, I’m just really happy to be here. It’s a massive club and I’m just really excited to get going. There were other options, ones that I thought were the only ones before Celtic, and then Celtic came out of the blue, to be fair. I found out quite late, and then I had a phone-call with Ange. He came across really, really well and he was the one who really sold it to me. Obviously the club itself is massive, but just speaking to him really sorted it out for me. With the style he plays, and all that surrounds it, and him as a person, as soon as I got off the phone I was ready to come, to be honest.”
O’Riley began his professional career with Fulham, making his first-team debut at the age of just 16, and he established some Celtic connections during his time with the club, which included working with Hoops legend, Peter Grant, and playing alongside former Celts, Stefan Johansen and Patrick Roberts.
“Peter Grant coached me during my time at Fulham in the Under-23s,” O’Riley explained. “He’s a really nice guy and he helped me develop during my time at Fulham. Pat (Patrick Roberts), I went to school with. He’s a little bit older than me so we didn’t speak much but at the time he was someone I looked up to at Fulham. He was doing really well at the time, so that’s another one for the storybooks. I got to know Stef too, so I’m good mates with all of them, but it just shows you that a club like Celtic can attract players like Stef and Pat, and Peter of course, and it’s nice to just follow the same route as such.”
And in being completely sold on the club after his conversation with Ange Postecoglou, the midfielder admitted that it was the style of football Celtic are playing which was so appealing.
“That’s another thing that was massive in terms of my decision to come here,” O’Riley admitted. “I always said that I wouldn’t just join a club if they paid me a certain amount of money if the style wasn’t right. I’m not that kind of guy. The style is right here and, again, that’s one of the main reasons why I’ve come. Ange said to me on the phone that, of course, we want to win – the expectation is to win – but win the right way, win by playing proper football and that’s what I came here to do. The big stage is what I want as a player and that’s one of the main reasons I’ve come here – the fanbase, the size of the club. I mean, 40,000 sounds like a lot to me, so the fact that it’s close to 60,000 people here is pretty incredible and it’s something I’m really excited about.”
Celtic TV - First Interview with new Bhoy Matt O'Riley
