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Former Celtic striker Georgios Samaras believes Matt O’Riley will be out this summer and has explained why he is 100 per cent sure of it.
O’Riley is one of the favorites for the SPFL Player of the Season award after taking over from Brendan Rodgers. Atletico Madrid and Inter were among those interested in January, but Celtic settled in and refused to sell for less than £25m. But it turns out that the vultures will most likely return to the circle this summer, and O’Riley’s form will continue to impress.
Samaras knows that when O’Riley finally leaves, it will only be for a huge sum, like the massive deals that brought Kieran Tierney to Arsenal and Jota to Al-Ittihad. But it’s sure to be this summer, once the exciting name race with the Rangers is over. Samaras exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “I’m 100 per cent confident that Matt O’Riley will leave the club at the end of this season. He is absent. He had a wonderful season last year, this time he had another season and obviously we can see him evolve year after year. He comes from League One in England and gives everything to his team every week. . . He’s got a lot of talent, his passes, his assists, his general performances. . . I think it’s at this level. The pinnacle of his Celtic career. Now, the most productive thing for him and for the club is to pass and locate the most productive offer this summer.
“He can play on any team, that’s for sure. Well, it would be harder to play for one of England’s four most sensible clubs, and he’s probably not yet in a position to sign for those clubs, but I think I have no doubts about his ability to go through and play at a similar point in the Premier League. It will be a question who will be able to do it. . .
“Celtic have a very dear asset in Matt O’Riley, so I have no doubt that they will get a huge payout for his transfer. And I don’t just mean the Premier League, by the way; He’s a guy I’ve noticed in Spain, Portugal, Germany, Italy. . . at any of his big clubs, I can see him all over Europe.
“Celtic are promoting at a premium price. Over the past 15 years, clubs across Europe and beyond have spent heavily on signing Celtic players. I don’t know the exact price, but I know it will be a lot for O’Riley and Celtic know how to sell and they know how to buy. Since I’ve known the club, I still don’t have any confidence in them when it comes to promoting players at the right price, and I have. Have no doubt that they will do the same with Matt.
“The smart thing for anyone leaving Celtic for a big club somewhere in Europe is that they won’t want to adapt to the tension and expectations of a big crowd, or the pleasure of betting on European football, because they will have acquired it all. That’s at Celtic. “
On the other hand, South Korea’s Olympic boss Hwang Seon-hong revealed that he even went to Glasgow and begged Celtic to Yang Hyun-jun for the U-23 Asian Cup. . . in vain.
The Hoops refused to release Yang for the tournament in Qatar, which also serves as a qualifier for the Paris Olympics soccer tournament. He reportedly missed as many as 4 matches in the race for the name and in the Scottish Cup semi-final this weekend with Aberdeen. They also teamed up through Brentford and Stoke City to not allow their players to go through to the final because it wasn’t in a foreign FIFA match. And disappointed Korean manager Hwang admitted he was so desperate to have Yang that he even personally went to Celtic to make his case.
He said: “I myself went to Europe before the tournament and negotiated with all the clubs where we had players to ask them for help and allow us to have their players. Unfortunately, as you can see, I didn’t make it.
“It’s a disappointing and unfortunate situation. It’s tricky now because replacement players are a bit late to Qatar, but it’s also a task he wants to overcome. This is an opportunity for the K-League players who have replaced the Europeans. “based on showing what they’re capable of. “