Are you watching Arsenal? Partey’s natural successor impresses in Champions League
Robin Bairner
- 26 Oct 2023 12:00 BST
- 4 min read
With Arsenal likely to be in the transfer market for a new midfielder soon, there is a growing body of evidence that Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley is a player they should be increasingly interested in.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta faces the prospect of losing Emile Smith Rowe, Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny in the months ahead, creating vacancies in the middle of his squad.
Indeed, Ghana international Partey is reportedly growing increasingly unsettled at his diminished role in the team, and with O’Riley impressing in a box-to-box capacity in Glasgow, he should be considered as a replacement thanks to his all-round game.
PROFILE: Who is Matt O'Riley? Celtic's midfielder who has caught the eye of Man Utd
FootballTransfers has exclusively revealed that Aurelien Tchouameni is Arteta’s leading target for next summer, but more additions will likely be required to maintain squad depth.
With Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Jorginho safe in the squad, there is little onus on the Gunners signing another superstar for the area, and that means they can invest in a supporting player who has the potential to enhance the starting XI in the long term.
The 22-year-old O’Riley, who was born in London, is showing himself to be such a talent, with data analytics experts SciSports suggesting that he would be a strong fit for the Emirates side.
O’Riley shines against Atletico Madrid
This was underlined in Celtic’s 2-2 Champions League draw with Atletico Madrid at Parkhead on Wednesday, when he won widespread acclaim for a performance that showcased his all-round ability.
For a player who was without a club for six months in 2020 to come so far in such a short period of time is remarkable and shows the capacity for improvement that he has.
On a field with multiple World Cup winners, including Atleti midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, he was the standout figure.
Matt O'Riley vs Atletico Madrid
| Minutes | 90 |
| Goals | 0 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Duels won/attempted | 6/11 |
| Tackles | 3 |
| Interceptions | 2 |
| Passing accuracy in opposition half | 86.5% |
He chalked up his second assist of the competition in creating Kyogo Furuhashi’s opening goal, one of two key passes he made, while only Cameron Carter-Vickers had a higher pass completion in the Atleti half.
On top of that, his defensive work was typically impressive. With 11 duels, he ranked second among Celtic players, while he was one of only four who won more than 50% of these challenges. Furthermore, he topped posted team-leading figures in tackles (3) and interceptions (2).
O’Riley has been touted as Celtic’s next big sale, and after Arsenal plundered Kieran Tierney from the Bhoys, they should be looking at the Denmark international as the next player to travel from Parkhead to the Emirates Stadium.
