The lowdown on Matt O'Riley

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The midfielder joined us on a five-year contract at the end of August.

2024-09-03T06:00+01:00

Brighton & Hove Albion v Crawley Town Carabao Cup 2RD 27AUG24 PH.036

Matt O'Riley's "exceptional" performances in the Champions League for Celtic are a good sign that he can excel in the Premier League for Albion.

That is according to Sky Sports News editor Anthony Joseph, who believes Albion is the ideal place for the 23-year-old after signing a five-year deal with the club in late August.

Not only is the Denmark international a versatile midfield option, Joseph says the former Milton Keynes player has the tools to go right to the top of the game.

"Brighton are getting a player who can play across the midfield, as a number six, eight, or a 10 - but I would say he is better when linking up with others in a more attacking role," Anthony said. "At Celtic, he excelled when Callum McGregor was sitting deeper and he was able to link up with Reo Hatate, Kyogo Furuhashi up front, and also with the wingers.

"His performances in the Champions League have also been exceptional in the last two seasons. He picked up a number of Man of the Match awards, which says a lot as Celtic often suffered heavy losses. That for me is a good indicator that he can step up to the Premier League."

Indeed, O'Riley won Champions League Man of the Match awards against Shakhtar Donetsk in 2022 and Atletico Madrid in 2023. Incidentally, although he is at Albion now, things could have been very different for the former Fulham academy product.

According to Joseph, O'Riley wasn't Celtic's top target in the January transfer window in 2022.

However, all the pieces fell into place as he went onto score 27 goals, bag 35 assists, make 124 appearances, and play a key role in helping the Scottish giants win six trophies along the way.

"I don't think people knew what to expect from him when he arrived. At the time he wasn't Celtic's main target. When Ange Postecoglou was manager, they were very close to signing Australian Riley McGree. A deal was agreed but then Middlesbrough came in and he decided to move to England," he said.

"MK Dons' O'Riley was Celtic's next target and they signed him for just £1.5m. It became very apparent early on that O'Riley was something different and a bit of a gem.

"I will always remember their 3-0 win over Rangers at Celtic Park early on in his time with the club. O'Riley played a huge role in that win and he had that famous post-match interview where he was blown away by the atmosphere. It was a raw, honest interview that really endeared him to the fans."

O'Riley, whose Albion debut was cut short by injury in a 4-0 Carabao Cup second-round win over Crawley Town, has also become a goal threat. Last season, the 6ft 2in player scored 19 goals and notched 18 assists; while also picking up player of the month awards and trophies, too.

"I put his goals down to Callum McGregor not being injured for a while. That made a huge difference. The season prior, McGregor was out injured, so O'Riley played in that deeper role. So with him back, O'Riley could play in his best, more advanced position," added Joseph.

"The connection he had with manager Brendan Rodgers was a big thing as well. They were a good fit for each other and I think Brighton is a good fit for O'Riley.

"They are on the up, are ambitious, and are so well run; so it's a good next step in his career. I have no reservations about how he will do in the Premier League. He can go right to the top."