Article body analysed
Matt O'Riley was born in England but is eligible to play for Denmark through his mother Brighton have signed midfielder Matt O'Riley from Scottish champions Celtic for a fee of £25m. The London-born Denmark international has signed a five-year contract until June 2029. O'Riley, 23, scored 27 goals in 124 appearances for Celtic, winning six trophies including three Scottish Premiership titles. "I'm very, very happy, " he said in an interview on Brighton's website. "It got a little bit stressful over the last couple of weeks, if I'm being honest, because I think the talks were ongoing for a good couple of months but I'm just really happy to be here now. " The deal matches the Scottish transfer record fee paid to Celtic by Al-Ittihad for Jota last summer, and Kieran Tierney's £25m switch to Arsenal in 2019. It also represents a significant profit on the reported £1. 5m Celtic signed O'Riley for from MK Dons in 2022. This video can not be played Watch: Brighton's new signing Matt O'Riley scoring for former club Celtic On leaving Celtic, O'Riley said: "It is hard. People probably don't realise how big the club is until you get up there. It's a real family club and one that I was made to feel welcome at very early on. "It's a very unique place just in terms of the passion the fans had, [it] is something I had never experienced before. I thoroughly enjoyed my time there. "It is still a little bit emotional speaking about it because I had such good memories there, but it just felt like the right time for a new challenge for me. " Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler said O'Riley's abilities as a box-to-box midfielder made him "special". "He is a great character, and has a good ambition to succeed and that's something which is very important for us, " Hurzeler added. O'Riley becomes Brighton's seventh signing of a busy summer that includes a £40m club-record deal for French forward Georginio Rutter from Leeds and Netherlands midfielder Mats Wieffer joining from Feyenoord for about £25. 5m. Hurzeler's side are second in the Premier League after beating Everton and Manchester United in their opening two games of the season. What now for O'Riley at Brighton? Latest Brighton news, analysis and fan views Get Brighton news sent straight to your phone Comments can not be loaded To load Comments you need to enable Java Script in your browser 'Forever grateful' - Beckham leads Eriksson tributes US Open: GB's Choinski wins third set but still trails - radio & text Former England manager Eriksson dies aged 76 Scott Mills takes on Celebrity Race Across The World This series is no holiday! Watch now on BBC i Player The maid who inherited a castle she’s not allowed to sell Storyville tells amazing, untold, inspiring and award-winning stories from across the globe Hit mockumentary starring Charlie and Daisy May Cooper The Bafta-award winning series follows two cousins living in a small village in the Cotswolds An Oscar-winning epic starring Mel Gibson. Video An Oscar-winning epic starring Mel Gibson Braveheart tells the story of fiery rebel William Wallace's rebellion against Edward I 'Engaging and courteous with a touch of steel' Remembering Eriksson - England's groundbreaking boss. Video Remembering Eriksson - England's groundbreaking boss Who was 'unbelievable again'? Troy Deeney's team of the week 'Ko's career highlight win banishes under-achiever tag' Celebratory cramps & goalkeeping errors - 2 Good, 2 Bad. Video Celebratory cramps & goalkeeping errors - 2 Good, 2 Bad 'Norris' new-found dominance alarming Red Bull' 'We've got your back, Arne' - Liverpool begin post-Klopp era at Anfield Apologetic Madueke 'fantastic' in Wolves thrashing. Video Apologetic Madueke 'fantastic' in Wolves thrashing 'Unbelievable! ' Ingebrigtsen smashes 28-year-old 3, 000m world record. Video'Unbelievable! ' Ingebrigtsen smashes 28-year-old 3, 000m world record 'At Old Trafford, a place of regeneration, England showed future is now' 'Special' Duplantis sets new pole vault world record. Video'Special' Duplantis sets new pole vault world record What's happening and when at the Paris Paralympics? 'No-one is in top gear' - a wide-open US Open awaits Root leads England to victory over Sri Lanka. Video Root leads England to victory over Sri Lanka Quiz: Which Chelsea outcast should your club sign? When Murray was crowned the boy king of Queens NFL team-by-team guide: Who are the Super Bowl contenders? 'Anything can happen' - 42 players, but do Chelsea have a plan? GB athletes to follow in Paris Paralympics A new Champions League era - all you need to know. Video A new Champions League era - all you need to know © 2024 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.