It’s been clear for a while that Celtic have had Atalanta on transfer strings for much of the summer when it comes to Matt O’Riley.
There’d been a cool and calm confidence from La Dea which was pretty impressive to start with. They were convinced they’d be able to sign the Celtic midfielder and that he wanted to join them above others.
That confidence took a wobble in recent weeks, especially as Celtic were said to have started to increase the asking price. O’Riley had a good preseason and start to the season, and with the Glasgow club having him contracted until 2027 they can either sell this summer for what they want or enjoy him for a further campaign and get what they want a year from now.
Therefore, La Dea pivoted away from the Dane and towards Lazar Samardzic, who is ‘not just a talent, but a reality’.
He represents a ‘a shrewd and strategic investment, capable of quickly making us forget the hesitations of the past’.
Given they now think he’s the far superior option, it would make one wonder why Atalanta never went for Samardzic over O’Riley in the first place.
