The next O'Riley: Celtic continue talks to sign "interesting" £7m sensation

Will Celtic make any signings before Monday’s deadline?

So far, the Hoops’ only business has been with Stade Rennais, selling striker Kyōgo Furuhashi for £10m to the Ligue 1 side, but re-signing fans’ favourite Jota for a reported £8m from the same club.

The “superstar from Portugal” is in line to make his second Celtic debut against Motherwell at Fir Park in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday.

However, before the window closes at 11pm on Monday, Brendan Rodgers is hoping to bring in another wide-attacker, with a huge Champions League tie against Bayern Munich to come in under a fortnight.

Celtic targeting a new winger

According to a report by Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports News, Celtic have had a bid of £4.6m rejected by Sarpsborg for winger Sondre Ørjasæter.

Sarpsborg sporting director Hampus Andersson told Sky Sports News “Sondre is and has been a highly valued player for us. Our main goal is not to sell him this window and keep him for at least to the end of the season.”

However, Eirik Nesset Hjelvik of TV2 in Norway believes Ørjasæter is valued at one hundred million Kroner, which converts to more-or-less £7m, a fee that would break Sarpsborg’s outgoing transfer record, set by Henrik Meister’s €7m move to Rennes, another mention for them, last summer.

It will be interesting to see if Celtic bid again and match that valuation or wait until the summer. As per Joseph – who also claimed that the Norwegian side are looking for a fee of £7m – talks are set to continue regarding a potential deal.

How Sondre Ørjasæter would fit in at Celtic

Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout describes Ørjasæter as “interesting”, praising his “intelligent” decision-making, while author Timothy Fellowes is impressed by Ørjasæter’s “skill & pace”, adding he would likely have an “excellent impact” should he arrive at Celtic.

Meantime, data analyst and scout Matthew Rowley notes he is “quick”, “very technical”, “creative” and a “good ball carrier”, all attributes Rodgers will be looking for in a new winger.

So, could Ørjasæter have a similar impact in Glasgow to that of another January arrival, in the form of Matt O’Riley?

Now a full Danish international, O’Riley was more or less a complete unknown when he arrived from Milton Keynes Dons three years ago, for a reported £1.5m, and was also 21 years old, the same age Ørjasæter is now.

So, let’s examine how the duo compare?

As shown in the table, O’Riley wasn’t exactly putting up huge goals and assists numbers at MK, so there was little sign he would come into the Celtic side and have the immediate impact he did, registering an assist on his debut at Hearts, a key figure in Ange Postecoglou’s side that clawed back a deficit to pip Rangers to the title.

By the time he departed for Brighton last summer, for a joint-record club fee of £25m, he’d scored 27 goals and provided 35 assists in 124 appearances, thereby named Celtic Player of the Year and Celtic Players’ Player of the Year last season.

So, there’s little reason to suggest Ørjasæter could not do the same, given that he’s created more chances and has completed a higher number of his dribbles during the given timeframe. While operating largely from the flanks, unlike O’Riley, the Norwegian mirrors his fellow Scandinavian star in also being a hugely creative asset.

It is also worth noting that O’Riley was plying his trade in EFL League One, ranked the 53rd strongest league in the world by Global Football Rankings, while Norway’s top-flight, the Eliteserien, is ranked 20th, showing that Ørjasæter is plying his trade at a much higher-level; for reference, the Scottish Premiership comes in at 43rd.

As such, all the signs point to the Sarpsborg starlet potentially making his own stellar impact at Parkhead, should he arrive before Monday’s deadline.

Related

Celtic eyeing loan for international left-back as Tierney alternative

Kieran Tierney will be back at Celtic Park, but maybe not until the summer.