Celtic's Matt O'Riley must prioritise Southampton over Leeds United: Opinion | OneFootball

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With just a couple of days remaining in the transfer window, it is expected that Southampton could be one of the busiest teams when it comes to transfers.

The Saints have been much of the talk for the majority of the summer when it comes to transfers, as they have adjusted their squad to life back in the Championship.

Their relegation has meant several key players have left the club for big-money, which is now sitting in Southampton’s pockets.

So, with the cash there, it seems likely that Southampton are going to want to reinvest some of that into their playing squad.

Russell Martin has made a solid start to life as Southampton’s new manager, but he will know his side needs more if they are to last the distance of 46 games.

The club have already brought in several new players, but they could possibly add to that with the addition of Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley.

What is Matt O’Riley’s current situation at Celtic?

The 22-year-old has been with Celtic since January of last year, when he arrived from EFL side MK Dons.

O’Riley was very impressive with MK Dons, and he has continued the fine form that earned him his move to Celtic Park, as he’s scored 10 goals and registered 17 assists in 76 appearances.

The midfielder has already scored twice in the Scottish Premiership this season after just three games, as he continues to be an important player under new manager Brendan Rodgers.

O’Riley has even gotten onto the international stage, as he’s earned six caps for Denmark as well as scoring two goals for his country. Celtic are still in control of the player’s future as he is still under contract until the summer pf 2026.

But that hasn’t stopped interest from emerging, as both Southampton and Leeds United have identified the player as a possible target, according to .

It seems there is plenty of interest in the Celtic player, as teams from abroad are also keeping an eye on any potential developments.

The 22-year-old has had a really impressive few years, from finding excellent form at MK Dons to earning his move to Scotland and continuing his performances.

It doesn’t come as a surprise that teams from England are looking to bring the player back, as he is still very young but seems to have a lot of talent and a bright future ahead of him.

You could argue that Southampton have an edge if this race is to continue, as Russell Martin worked with the player before during their spells at MK Dons, and the player seemed to really shine.

In the 2021/22 season before he left to join Celtic, O’Riley was performing excellently for MK Dons, and while it was in League One, these are the sort of numbers you can expect from the player if he were to join Southampton.

That season, the player played 26 league games, scoring seven goals and registering five assists. But he also produced good numbers that many may not notice.

He averaged 1.5 shots per game, which goes with the goals that he scored and shows that the player has an eye for goal. O’Riley also likes to be a ball carrier from midfield, and that shows with his average of 1.3 dribbles per game, as per WhoScored.com.

O’Riley fitted perfectly into Martin’s style because of his passing ability, and that is one of the reasons why he would be silly not to play for Martin again at Southampton. That season, he averaged 56.1 passes per game, with 85.9% being successful and 2.1 being considered key passes, as he was crucial in the attacking third, as per WhoScored.com.

The midfielder excelled under Martin and has continued to do so at Celtic, so there is no reason to suggest that maybe working under Martina again may help his game even more.

For Southampton, he would be the ideal player to replace James Ward-Prowse, as he is a creative spark who can do very similar things to what he did for Southampton, and he would fit perfectly into Martin’s style and team, as mentioned.

O’Riley’s arrival could be the difference between the Saints getting automatic promotion and just finishing in the top six; that’s how important and good his signing could be for the club and for Martin.