Crystal Palace will reportedly provide stiff competition to Arsenal and Manchester United in the race to sign Matt O’Riley from Celtic.
According to a report by The Sun, Matt O’Riley has emerged on the radar of Crystal Palace. The 21-year-old Celtic midfielder is also the subject of interest from other Premier League bigwigs, including Arsenal and Manchester United.
Matt O’Riley spent his formative years in England, notably rising through the ranks at Fulham from 2009 to 2017. But the young midfielder has risen to prominence at Celtic, joining the Scottish giants in January 2022 after an impressive stint with MK Dons.
The 21-year-old has featured in every game thus far for Celtic, providing five assists in 13 outings across all competitions. Meanwhile, he has started representing Denmark on the international stage after making his under-21 debut for the nation. And his performances have captured the attention of several Premier League clubs, including Crystal Palace, Arsenal, and Manchester United.
Crystal Palace attempted to sign Conor Gallagher in the summer transfer window. But the English international remained at Chelsea and has been a regular for the Blues in the 2022/23 season. While Cheick Doucoure has done well thus far for Crystal Palace, the Eagles need reinforcements in the midfield unit amid James McArthur’s advancing years.
As for Arsenal, the Gunners bolstered their midfield department by signing Fabio Vieira in the summer transfer window. But with Thomas Partey’s fitness issues compounding and Mohamed Elneny not a regular, Arsenal might invest in a midfielder. Several players have thus emerged on their radar, including Guido Rodriguez.
Meanwhile, the interest from Manchester United is surprising, with Christian Eriksen excelling as a box-to-box midfielder. And unless one of Scott McTominay and Fred leaves, the Red Devils do not need another midfield signing. Nonetheless, it looks like Manchester United might pursue O’Riley.
Arsenal, Manchester United and Crystal Palace are closely monitoring O’Riley’s progress for now. But it will not be surprising to see the three Premier League clubs launch the offensive to sign the 21-year-old. It will be interesting to see how Celtic will respond if a suitor presents an offer.
