'Very specialist' £25m man moves from Celtic to Brighton

Celtic’s top scorer last season, Matt O’Riley, has signed on for a move to the south coast in a deal believed to break the Scottish transfer record.

Brighton and Hove Albion have secured O’Riley’s services for reportedly over £25m - it will be the highest fee received by a Scottish club. The 23-year-old has signed for the Seagulls on a five-year deal in what will be his first Premier League spell.

New boss Fabian Hürzeler was full of praise for the Danish international: “He plays a very specialist position; he is very good at occupying and attacking the right space. He likes making deep runs, and knows 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.”

O’Riley was a crucial part of Celtic’s third successive Scottish Premiership triumph this year, finishing the season with 19 goals and 18 assists. He was Celtic’s top scorer, second in the division only to Hearts’ Lawrence Shankland, and swept the club awards at the end of the year.

It’s no surprise that Celtic held on for a large fee - they reportedly rejected an approach from Atlético Madrid in January. O’Riley’s sale for a reported £25m would represent a healthy profit on the £1.5m they paid for him to MK Dons in 2022.

He is Brighton’s eighth summer signing as they seek to build a quality squad under new boss Hürzeler. Though Brighton have splashed the cash, it appears to be working so far - the Seagulls currently sit second behind Manchester City after a late win over Manchester United this weekend.

New arrival Yankuba Minteh made his debut on the opening weekend, providing an assist and impressing in his performance on the wing, while record £40m man Georginio Rutter made his bow at the Amex this weekend.

Brighton’s next Premier League match sees them travel to Arsenal on Saturday in their toughest test yet as they look to continue their unbeaten start to the campaign.