Is it possible O'Riley stays?

Dare it now be countenanced that Matt O’Riley could remain at Celtic this summer?

It was impossible not to indulge in a game of ‘what if’ in watching Matt O’Riley’s mastery of space and angles - aided and abetted by a sleek Reo Hatate - as Celtic eviscerated Chelsea in the concluding leg of their US tour on Saturday. Not least because the 4-1 victory proved to be a second such, admittedly, pre-season piercing in this fashion against an elite level opponent; following on from the 4-3 success over Manchester City in midweek. 

What if Celtic somehow ended up retaining the services of a seemingly edging-towards-the-exit O’Riley for the forthcoming season, it was irresistible to posit. A musing underpinned by a potent sense that a midfield trio of the Danish international, Hatate and Callum McGregor in peak condition - as it can be forgotten Celtic have rarely had at their disposal across the past 16 months - could be the key to unlocking genuine competitiveness in the enlarged, more equitable, Champions League.

After all, there has been no sense that any club is straining at the leash to yank the 23-year-old from Scottish football. An inescapable conclusion when it appears to have taken Atalanta three nibbles simply to lodge a, frankly, unserious bid of around £15m. Southampton seem ready to enter the arena but it is legitimate to speculate that O’Riley wouldn’t be falling over himself to swap all the professional contentment - and future possibilities - Celtic can offer for a likely relegation battle in the English Premier League in the forthcoming season. Indeed, I have rarely heard any player articulate with such ferocious intellect the privilege of playing in front of 60,000 passionate supporters every second week as the deep-thinking O’Riley did on several occasions last season.

Thickening the plot are the latest comments from Brendan Rodgers...which can be read as a veiled rebuke to Atalanta over their lowballing antics in their pursuit of the midfielder. “It’s actually been straightforward with Matt because he’s such a great professional,” the Celtic manager said of the speculation surrounding the player. “I think what is always the challenge for teams coming to a team like Celtic is that they can place a value on the league and not the player. I’ve already told the club that.

“We all understand the model here – players will come in and develop. It’s not a club that you have to move on from, but there are riches in other leagues much richer than ours that allow players to go and improve the conditions of their lives.”

“We all understand that, but it’s really important that if a player does leave here we are paid for the value of the players, and that’s sometimes something that can not happen. Sometimes a value will come in that’s a lot less. I’ve worked in the Premier League, I understand the levels there and the players’ value. No player will leave unless it’s for the right valuation. At this point in time, there’s been no team that’s been anywhere near it.”

All the aforementioned could be taken to imply the ‘what if’ over O’Riley’s short-term future seems well-placed. Against that, though, past experience and the realities of such situations can only give rise to fears that any growing hope might merely represents a form of torture that we Celtic supporters indulge in over hanging on to prized assets.

O’Riley may not be angling for a move but it can be considered a given he wants to spread his wings and head to Serie A with Atalanta, a club that would also offer Champions League next season. This can be said with certainty because of the intriguing news from Italy that Blash Hosseini is attempting to broker the deal. That name should set off alarm bells since in interviews O’Riley has presented Hosseini as practically his life coach. Revealing he had taken up meditation after feeling weighed down by social media criticism the previous season, the midfielder said six months ago that regular chats with Hosseini were instrumental in ensuring he retained his equilibrium.

Moreover, there are still three weeks until Serie A kicks off. Plenty of time for Atalanta to nudge up to an offer in the region of £20m. A figure which, while still short of Celtic’s £25m valuation, would place the club in a difficult position if they believe O’Riley’s heart is set on the move. A consequence of representing a monster return on the £1.5m paid to MK Dons for him in January 2022 and ensure they weren’t facing the possibility of holding on to a player who could, even subconsciously, become dissociated. The perils of such a development can be evidenced from O’Riley’s form falling off dramatically for an extended period in the wake of  Atletico Madrid seeing a £17m bid rebuffed in January. Atalanta and Celtic seem to be locked in a game of chicken right now. And with no offer likely to be submitted in the too-good-to-be-refused bracket, ultimately it won’t be a case of the two clubs buying and selling the player. Instead it will come down to whether O’Riley decides to push the necessary buttons and effectively sell himself.