Matt O’Riley earned his move to Brighton last summer after a stellar Celtic career.
The midfielder became Celtic’s most expensive transfer sale in a deal worth £30million and the future was bright for the Danish international who was excited about the new challenge.
Before the 24-year-old could establish himself in the Premier League, though, O’Riley’s Brighton debut ended disastrously with a horror challenge wrecking his first outing and left him sidelined for a number of weeks.
That put a dampener on O’Riley’s Seagulls start and the playmaker has struggled to force his way back with just 14 appearances in total – six starts – since his switch in a cruel twist of fate.
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
AS Roma and Serie A clubs are keen on Celtic hero O’Riley
Now, though – according to GRV’s transfer guru Graeme Bailey – O’Riley has exit options for this summer with Italian clubs keen on his services.
Bailey credits AS Roma with an interest in O’Riley and that comes after Atalanta pushed to sign the player before he eventually chose Brighton.
O’Riley explained why he opted for the Seagulls over Serie A but the opportunity to move again might be of interest given he has not yet become a main star at the Amex Arena under manager Fabian Hurzeler.
To be fair to the Dane, his injury problems have kept him sidelined and prevented the boss from rushing O’Riley back to matchdays.
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O’Riley’s Brighton stats vs Celtic stats
Celtic stats Brighton stats
Played: 124 Played: 14
Goals: 27 Goals: 1
Assists: 35 Assists: 1
But it’s believed that if he does fancy a crack at something fresh, there will be plenty of options on the table to choose from for such a talented player.
O’Riley has had moments at Brighton to suggest that he will make it at the club including his first start for the club and the impact he had on that fixture.
O’Riley netted the Brighton winner vs Manchester City and had a beaming smile on his face the rest of the evening as he did his Match of the Day duties.
The player is a bonafide Celtic legend, anyway, and regardless of where he ends up next he will always have the support of the Hoops fanbase.