Brighton have signed midfielder, Matt O’Riley from Celtic in a £30m transfer.
O’Riley had been the subject of interest from Atalanta, Chelsea and Manchester United in recent months, but Brighton ultimately signed the 23 year-old for a record transfer fee received by a Scottish club for a central midfielder.
Brighton have paid £25m upfront to Celtic but a further £5m in add-ons has taken the total fee to £30m, with O’Riley having signed a five-year contract at the AMEX Stadium.
Brighton Head Coach, Fabian Hürzeler explained the decision behind the club’s move for O’Riley as about adding extra attacking quality to midfield.
“He plays a very specialist position; he is very good at occupying and attacking the right space. He likes making deep runs, and know when to attack at the right time.
“He enjoys getting forward and attacking the opponent’s penalty area, but he also has a good defensive instinct. That balance makes him special.
“He is a great character, and has a good ambition to succeed and that’s something which is very important for us.”
Born in Hounslow, London, O’Riley began his career at NPL Youth before he joined Fulham, where he graduated through their academy to make five senior appearances before he was released in June 2020.
O’Riley went on to play for MK Dons for a year from January 2021 in which he scored 10 goals in 54 appearances, before he moved to Celtic where he scored 27 goals and created 30 assists in 124 appearances.
During his time at Celtic, he helped the Hoops to three Scottish Premiership titles plus two Scottish Cup honours and 2022-23 Scottish League Cup, of which the latter came in a campaign that saw Celtic achieve a domestic treble.
O’Riley represented England at youth international level but switched his senior allegiance to Denmark at Under-21 level, and has since earned two caps for Denmark’s senior team following his debut in November 2023.