Sky Sports have reported that La Liga side Girona are the latest club showing interest in doing a deal before the end of the winter deadline.
O’Riley has been in exceptional form for the Bhoys so far this season, scoring ten goals and assisting ten more in 28 appearances across all competitions.
Naturally, he is going to be linked with a move to bigger leagues, but Rodgers isn’t sweating the situation at all, noting that Celtic don’t need to sell him and that the player himself is happy in Glasgow.
Matt O’Riley really happy at Celtic
The Bhoys boss said in a media conference this afternoon [Celtic YouTube]: “The club is in a really strong position with no need to sell and we’ve no thoughts on selling. Naturally, it’s the time of the season when there’s lots of speculation and gossip around players.
“I see the likes of Matt – he’s really, really happy here. He signed a new deal, he’s really progressed, he’s into double figures now for goals, his assists are there.
“So, for him as a young player who I know is a brilliant professional, all he wants to do is improve. You can see the improvement here. We just take it day by day and assess it from there.”
O’Riley only signed his latest long-term deal in September and it runs until 2027, so there is no urgency on the club’s part to seek out a big money transfer deal.
Likewise, the midfielder wouldn’t have committed himself to the club if he was looking to leave at the first opportunity.
It’s far more likely that he’ll at least see out the season with Celtic and then re-evaluate his career during the summer months, when there may even be more suitors for his signature.
For now, no one should be worrying about an O’Riley exit. Rodgers certainly isn’t.
