Matt O'Riley hails 'unique' Celtic as midfielder becomes latest to sign new Parkhead contract

Matt O'Riley has become the latest Celtic player to put pen to paper on a contract extension after signing a new four-year deal that ties him to the club until 2027.

Matt O'Riley has signed a new four-year contract with Celtic. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)

The 22-year-old midfielder joins Reo Hatate, Callum McGregor, Liel Abada, Kyogo Furuhashi, Daizen Maeda and Anthony Ralston in agreeing new terms since Brendan Rodgers' return in the summer. O'Riley has been an impressive performer for Celtic since joining from MK Dons for a £1.5m fee in January 2022, lifting four trophies during his 80 appearances and scoring 12 goals.

Celtic turned down a £10m approach from Leeds United in the summer for the Denmark Under-21 international, who is believed to be on the cusp of earning a call-up to the senior national side after a superb start to the current season.

O'Riley told Celtic TV: “It’s probably hard to put it into a short sentence but I think everybody knows how much I enjoy playing here, especially at Celtic Park because I don’t think you get that anywhere else.

"I’ve said before that I’m just really grateful to be a part of a club like this and hopefully we can achieve more good things together. I can’t express how much I enjoy playing my football here, genuinely. It’s really nice to feel part of a family of football. I think that’s quite rare, in terms of everything we do on and off the pitch, in terms of community work and charities etc… I think it’s unique and to be a part of that is special.

"I think it’s important going into training every day really enjoying the company of your team-mates, being able to have a laugh and being able to push each other as well. If you’ve got a good relationship off the pitch, it naturally makes it easier to demand high standards from each other, and right now I think we’ve got a real good balance of youth and experience.

"I’m still pretty young but I’m probably in the middle of that because we’ve got a young team, but that dynamic and balance is really helpful."

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers added: “We are really pleased that Matt has agreed this new contract with the club. As we have seen from recent weeks, Matt is playing some brilliant football, developing in all areas of his game and it is a great time for him at the moment.

"I know he is the kind of player that Celtic fans love and I know that, in turn, he loves it here. Matt has so much to his game but always wants to learn, develop and grow further and from that perspective, together with the inherent talent he has, he really is a joy to coach and work with.

“I am delighted that he has signed his new deal and I am sure he will continue to make a massive contribution to the club going forward.”