Newcastle United will seemingly be prioritising a new central midfield addition heading into the January transfer window, with sporting director Dan Ashworth likely currently scouring the market for a suitable candidate to help improve the current squad.
The Englishman could well be wise to revisit the Magpies’ previous interest in Celtic starlet, Matt O’Riley, with the Premier League outfit having been named as one of the multiple interested parties who were keeping tabs on the Denmark U21 international over the summer.
As per ESPN, the suggestion was that the northeast side – as well as Leicester City – were the most likely to make an offer for the London-born gem before the end of the window, with the playmaker valued at around £15m-£20m by the Old Firm giants.
The player himself even went as far as to publicly reveal that interest from both the Tynesiders and the Foxes, albeit with no such move coming to fruition as the former MK Dons gem stayed put in Glasgow.
Ashworth should well consider making a fresh approach next month with the Hoops star having continued to thrive for Ange Postecoglou’s side this season, racking up seven assists in just 15 Scottish Premiership games.
The 6 foot 2 “magician” – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – boasts an overall tally of four goals and nine assists from 42 games since his £1.5m arrival at Parkhead back in January, having settled in superbly after making the step up from England’s third tier.
Lauded for his “elite mentality” by journalist Chris Doyle after previously turning down a contract extension at Fulham in order to seek out pastures new, O’Riley has particularly impressed of late due to his displays in the Champions League.
The £12k-per-week man was praised by journalist Guillem Balague for his performance at home to Real Madrid earlier this season, with the Spaniard stating: “He did not look out of place at all against Madrid and will reach bigger highs for sure.”
Such glowing praise will likely have piqued the interest of those at St James’ Park, as will the fact that the youngster can even be compared to England star Jude Bellingham, with the pair sharing notable statistical and stylistic similarities, as per FBref.
Both versatile assets who can play in more advanced or deep-plying midfield roles, the two men are also alike with their quality in possession, with O’Riley ranking in the top 4% in Europe for progressive passes received among those in his position, while Bellingham ranks in the top 8% in that regard – albeit while having played more minutes.
Equally, the Borussia Dortmund gem has a real knack for arriving in the box from his midfield berth as he ranks in the top 5% for touches in the attacking penalty area, while O’Riley ranks in the top 1% for the same metric.
That likeness is a marker of the Celtic maestro’s talent, with Bellingham currently one of the most highly-coveted midfielders in Europe, with Liverpool seemingly leading the race for his signature.
The 19-year-old has 40 goal involvements to his name in 112 games for the Bundesliga side since his arrival just over two years ago, having also recently starred at the World Cup for the Three Lions, scoring once and laying on one assist in his five outings in Qatar.
Dubbed a “superstar” by pundit Roy Keane, the towering, 6 foot 1 machine is certainly a positive figure to be likened to as far as O’Riley is concerned, with that comparison seemingly a good omen if the latter man is to be snapped up by Newcastle in the near future.
Newcastle boss Eddie Howe would no doubt love to have a Bellingham-esque talent to be able to work with, hence Ashworth needing to go and prise the Bhoys gem from Paradise.