In the final week of the transfer window, Newcastle United were linked with a late move for Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.
According to ESPN, ourselves and Leicester City were the two clubs ‘most likely’ to bring the Danish international to the Premier League before the deadline, with Borussia Dortmund, Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United all keeping tabs on the 21-year-old.
A few weeks later, the former MK Dons star has been speaking about those rumours ahead of tonight’s Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk, confirming that both Newcastle and Leicester did show interest over the summer.
He claims that neither side came forward with a bid, but it seems he is a player on our radar, with O’Riley flattered to have Premier League admirers – believing it’s a sign he’s doing the right things as he bids to make Denmark’s World Cup squad for Qatar.
Here’s what the midfielder’s had to say when speaking to Danish outlet Tipsbladet ahead of tonight’s game in Warsaw:
“I know Leicester showed a lot of interest in me. And I think Newcastle was there too. But it wasn’t a matter of any of them making a bid. If there’s no bid, it’s not very concrete in my head.
“I didn’t really think about it because nobody from Celtic told me that, for example, Newcastle had made a bid. It wasn’t like that, so there wasn’t much to think about, and a lot is written in the media as well.
“It’s great to get some recognition because it means I’m doing well at Celtic. But like I say, Celtic right now is the perfect place for me. It’s a big club, we play in the Champions League, the fans are insanely good and the team is good.
“It’s a perfect place to be, and I also think it’s a good place to be if I want to go to the World Cup with Denmark.”
