Spurs should look at Celtic star as summer transfer window approaches

Having shown he was clearly far too good in League One for MK Dons, O'Riley was snapped up by Celtic in January 2022, and has shown linear progress ever since (Transfermarkt).

O'Riley is a creative midfielder with an eye for goal, able to control games from deep and also to influence them in the final third.

This season, the Celtic midfielder has registered 17 goals and 13 assists in the SPFL. He averages 2.6 chances created per game. He is no luxury player, however, showing the combative side to his game with 5.8 ball recoveries and 4.8 duels won per game (Sofascore).

Worrying Spurs fans, fear not about the step up in quality. Not only are his numbers and performances impressive regardless of the standard of opposition, but he has shown what he can do in the Champions League as well.

He registered 3 assists (SofaScore) in the Champions League this season, including one in a 2-2 draw where he was awared the man of the match award (UEFA).

Another tick in the box is that having been born and raised in London, and starting his career at Fulham, O'Riley counts as a homegrown player.

The one caveat to this all is that at the beginning of this season, O'Riley suggested that he preferred Brendan Rodgers' style of man management to that of his former boss Ange Postecoglou. However, he didn't actually say anything outright negative towards Ange; if anything, more 'pro-Rodgers', so ideally he would be willing to put any differences aside if it meant coming back to London to play in the Premier League.

The Danish international has three years on his current contract, but the majority of Celtic fans have accepted that it would be near impossible to keep him at the club beyond the summer. It would be hard to imagine Spurs being outpriced for an SPFL player, regardless of the stature of the club he plays for.