Brighton are continuing to make a remarkably massive upgrade to their squad in Fabian Hürzeler’s first year. Matt O’Riley is also coming – for a Scottish record sum
Fabian Hürzeler has just continued his perfect Premier League start with Brighton & Hove Albion with a 2:1 coup against Manchester United, and the club has already made its next scent mark: on Monday, it announced the signing of Matt O’Riley until the summer of 2029, breaking the €200 million barrier for transfers this summer.
The 23-year-old central midfielder comes from Celtic Glasgow for a rumored €30 million plus bonuses. Although he is not Brighton’s most expensive new signing – that is Georginio Rutter, who recently signed from Leeds for around 47 million euros – he is the most expensive sale in Celtic’s club and Scottish soccer history.
For the reigning Scottish Premiership champions, O’Riley’s departure after two and a half years is a sporting loss, but at the same time an outstanding deal: The London-born player with Danish roots, who has since made two appearances for Denmark’s senior national team after playing for England at U-21 level, only cost around two million euros when he joined from Milton Keynes Dons in January 2022. He had previously trained at Fulham FC.
Brighton’s familiar transfer strategy – but something is new
With Celtic, O’Riley won six domestic titles, including three in a row in the Championship. “He gave everything for the team and the club,” coach Brendan Rodgers gushed to the BBC at the weekend. “Right up until his very last day, he put in extra shifts. That shows the mentality he has. “
In view of his potential, O’Riley fits perfectly into Brighton’s transfer strategy, which under Hürzeler also focuses on young players who may then be sold on for a multiple of the transfer fee. However, the fact that the Seagulls are digging so deep into their own pockets several times in one summer is new and shows their growing ambitions.
However, nothing is being rushed with O’Riley, the eighth new arrival: None of the seven others were in the starting eleven against Man United. Brajan Gruda, who came from Mainz for 31.5 million euros, is still waiting for his first squad call-up
