Fabrizio Romano discusses Leeds United transfer move for Celtic man | OneFootball

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Fabrizio Romano has revealed there is still a ‘possibility’ Matt O’Riley could join Leeds United from Celtic before Friday night’s transfer deadline.

Who is Matt O’Riley?

The 22-year-old playmaker came through the ranks at Fulham, and whilst he was highly-rated at Craven Cottage, O’Riley decided to move on in pursuit of first-team football, so he dropped down to League One MK Dons.

It was a decision that paid off, with O’Riley excelling in the possession based football adopted by Russell Martin, which saw Celtic make a move for the midfielder, just 12 months after he signed for MK Dons.

O’Riley has continued to improve north of the border, and he has won four trophies during his time with the Glasgow giants, including two league titles.

Leeds United interested in Matt O’Riley

There has been a lot of change at Parkhead over the summer, with Brendan Rodgers replacing Ange Postecoglou as head coach, and he has played O’Riley regularly since his appointment.

Nevertheless, there has been talk that the Denmark U21 international could move on, with Southampton and Leeds thought to be keeping tabs on the player.

And, speaking to Give Me Sport, Romano explained that a switch to Elland Road can’t be ruled out for O’Riley.

“I think it could be a possibility, yes. They are still discussing internally about that and waiting to see if they can attack the situation in the next hours. But yes, I think this could be a possibility and I still expect Leeds to be busy in the final days of the window. So, that remains one of the options for sure.”

Would this be a good signing for Leeds?

This would be a major statement of intent from Leeds if they could get a deal for O’Riley over the line.

Firstly, Celtic are not going to want to sell, so it’s going to take a substantial offer to get this finalised, meaning there would be a lot of hype and excitement around O’Riley if he did make the move.

From a football perspective, he has qualities that Farke’s midfield is lacking right now.

O’Riley is a very technical footballer, someone who can dictate the tempo with his ability on the ball, and he is one step ahead with his intelligence. Simply put, he is the exact player Leeds need to knit things together, and he could be the ideal partner for Ethan Ampadu, who will cover ground quickly and win the ball back, areas where O’Riley doesn’t stand out.

You can be sure the attacking players would appreciate his arrival, as O’Riley is someone who has the extra bit of quality in the final third - evident by the 12 assists he recorded in the Scottish Premiership last season.

What next for Leeds United?

It’s going to be a hectic end to the window for Leeds, who are in the market for a few players, whilst it seems some more exits are likely as well.

Farke will be doing all he can to get the deals over the line, but he will also be focused on the big game against Sheffield Wednesday at Elland Road on Saturday.