MATT O’RILEY was all set to be the latest Celtic player to go from Parkhead favourite to Premier League star.
He clinched a £25million move to Brighton from the Hoops last summer but 12 months on, he’s now set to leave the club.
1
The midfielder joined Celts in January 2022 from MK Dons and quickly established himself as a key player at Celtic Park.
But it wasn’t until the 2023-24 season that he truly kicked on a level, adding goals to his game on a regular basis with 19 across all competitions.
The Seagulls won the race to sign him and it looked like he would be a perfect fit on the south coast under Fabian Hurzeler.
But just EIGHT minutes into his debut he suffered a horror ankle injury after a rash challenge from Crawley Town’s Jay Williams.
Read more Celtic stories
The effects of that tackle ended up keeping O’Riley sidelined for three months.
He came back into the fold towards the turn of the year and eventually managed 23 appearances, scoring twice.
The Denmark international scored on the opening weekend of the Premier League season in a 1-1 draw with Fulham.
But little over a fortnight later, he is on his way out of East Sussex.
Most read in Football
IN DEMAND
Celtic and Rangers set to battle it out on deadline day for Premier League star
ON THE CLOCK
Key Celtic transfer target believes Hoops will go “all the way” in signing bid
GER EXIT
Rangers misfit to set clinch shock move to Ukrainian club before transfer deadline
OH WOW
Celtic in line for bumper sell-on as ex-striker Oh Hyeon-gyu ‘set for £24m transfer’
According to Fabrizio Romano, the playmaker will join Marseille on a season-long loan deal as they seek an urgent replacement for Adrien Rabiot who is off to AC Milan.
That will see him team up with former Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi at the Stade Velodrome.
De Zerbi signed ex-Brighton ace Neal Maupay this summer while former Arsenal star Pierre-Emerick Aubamayang and disgraced former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood also joined the French club.
Timothy Weah, who once spent time on loan at Celtic, has arrived on loan from Juventus and he’s not the only ex-Premiership star on the books with former Hibs defender CJ Egan-Riley in the squad too.
Rangers are understood to be on the verge of taking defender Derek Cornelius away from Marseille in their own deadline day swoop.
Marseille currently sit tenth in Ligue 1, with one win and two defeats in their opening three games.
They will pay a loan fee of £1.7million (plus add-ons) while Brighton will cover his salary.
Keep up to date with ALL the latest news and transfers at the Scottish Sun football page
