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Matt O’Riley admits he felt the warmth of the movement scene after seeing an offer from Atletico Madrid rejected.
Diego Simeone’s side have attempted to attack Parkhead to secure a six-month loan deal for O’Riley with legal responsibility to buy for a £25m payment this summer. Atleti had obviously been inspired by Denmark’s overseas side after facing Celtic twice in the Champions League organising phase, with the Spaniards winning 6-0 at home before drawing 2-2 at Celtic Park.
But Brendan Rodgers has shown that the offer has been rejected by the Bhoys, although there are fears that the La Liga side, along with others, will simply pull out in the busy season. And O’Riley says he felt extra strain after the move. window closed, before shaking himself off and refocusing on the task at hand in Glasgow. And he stated that this is a lesson learned in case he is the subject of other offers in the future.
“If I’m absolutely honest, the first two or three games after the movement window, mentally it was challenging because I felt a little bit of extra strain on my shoulders, just a little bit. But then I learned that I don’t have any tension. I know why I was putting extra strain on myself.
“I didn’t want to replace anything. I walked away from that and focused on what I bring to the team and it went back to its place.
“Every season, even if everything goes well, it will pose another challenge. Sure, deals are great, but it can be a negative thing if you don’t look at it the right way, so that’s another thing. “to learn. Go ahead. “