How Celtic turned Matt O'Riley into a £30m superstar as Brighton transfer shines light on Rangers problems

It is about to go down as the most lucrative transfer in Scottish football history.

When Celtic landed Matt O'Riley for £1.5million after triggering his MK Dons release clause in January 2022, few could have foreseen the astronomical rise that would result in the midfielder being sold to Brighton less than three years later for 20 times that price. The 23-year-old is not expected to feature in the Celtic squad that will face St Mirren in Paisley on Sunday amid reports that he has travelled to the south coast of England for a medical ahead of joining the Seagulls in a record £30million deal.

An unknown quantity, playing in England’s League One, O’Riley was not the first-choice signing target at the time of his Celtic arrival. Ange Postecoglou had pursued Charlotte FC midfielder Riley McGree but when the Australian international decided to join Middlesbrough instead, only then did Celtic switch their attention to O'Riley. Some things are just meant to be.

His arrival was low key compared to the unveiling of Aaron Ramsey at Rangers in the same week. It was thought that the Ibrox side had pulled off the signing coup of the window with a short-term loan deal for the Juventus man. How fallacious those perceptions proved to be with O'Riley set to earn Celtic a £28.5million profit having played a major role in three successive title wins, including a treble, while Ramsey barely made a contribution of note at Ibrox other than missing the decisive penalty in the 2022 Europa League final.

Celtic midfielder Matt O'Riley has travelled south to complete his £30m move to Brighton. | SNS Group

The outcome is Celtic's reward for following the transfer model that has served them so well in recent years. The list of young players who have been bought relatively cheap and sold for substantial profit is extensive. For all Celtic fans appear frustrated with the pace of the club's recruitment, the fact is that they are taking their time, unearthing gems, developing them, and selling them on, all while remaining successful on the pitch, domestically at least. It also shines a light on the problems at Rangers which has left them struggling to match Celtic on and off the pitch.

O'Riley will now sit right at the top of that Celtic list and recognition is due to the Parkhead scouting team who identified a superstar in the making from the third tier of English football. Credit also belongs to Postecoglou, who pitched O'Riley straight into his starting line-up and allowed him to flourish in an attacking system, and to his successor Brendan Rodgers, who has elevated the player to another level culminating in his move to the English Premier League and his emergence as a senior Denmark international.

But the person who takes most credit is O'Riley himself. While his stats speak for themselves - 19 goals and 18 assists in 49 appearances last season - those who have watched him play will testify to a classy footballer with the persona to match. His handling of the transfer speculation that has seen him attract offers from Atalanta and Atletico Madrid among others has been exemplary. The antithesis of what Rangers have ended up with in Todd Cantwell, who has the talent to follow O'Riley's path but appears to lack the temperament that sets the Celtic man apart.

There are ways to depart a club with your head held high and reputation intact. O'Riley has done that and now few would bet against him making it all the way to the very top.