Schmeichel and Kadioglu react to ‘grateful’ O’Riley’s amid Brighton exit talk
Brighton midfielder Matt O’Riley has taken to social media to send an emotional message, prompting reactions from Ferdi Kadioglu and Kasper Schmeichel.
The 24-year-old joined the club last summer, when he joined from Celtic in a deal worth over £25million, but endured a difficult first season in the Premier League.
O’Riley picked up an ankle injury just minutes into his Brighton debut, which saw him miss several months of action, and he did not complete a full match during the campaign.
As a result, uncertainty is already emerging around the future of the midfielder at the AMEX Stadium just a year after his arrival.
Matt O’Riley speaks out after transfer rumours
With the summer transfer window now open, other clubs are being linked with the midfielder, with Everton among those credited with an interest in O’Riley.
Meanwhile, Football Insider has been told that Brighton could sell the midfielder for £25-30million during the transfer window.
Amid all that, O’Riley has been enjoying some time away from the game after such a tough season, taking to Instagram to post a series of images from the summer break.
The midfielder then added meaningful caption to that post which read: “It can be tough sometimes!
Life throws challenges that sometimes feel too much for us to handle.. Speaking for myself here too!
“Please remember to be kind to yourselves and those around you. Every moment is so precious and who knows the influence one interaction can have on someone’s day and life! So grateful for these moments”.
In response, his current Brighton teammates Kadioglu and Brajan Gruda, and former Celtic teammate Schmeichel, all showed their support by liking that post.
Meanwhile, Fulham ace Ryan Sessegnon, who previously played alongside O’Riley for the Cottagers, also did the same.
Brighton midfielder deserves a chance next season
Football Insider Verdict
This move to the Premier League will have been seen by O’Riley as a chance for him to take the next big step in his career.
So far though that has not worked out for him, which will be hard to take when considering what he will have expected from it.
With that in mind, the Brighton man is due credit for speaking so openly about this, and you have to hope he gets a proper chance to show what he can do next, either for Fabian Hurzeler’s side or elsewhere.
If he does it will be well earned, and as he showed at times last season – such as with his winner against Man City on his league debut – he does have the ability to take that chance.
As a result, it would not be a huge shock if there are still sides keen to sign O’Riley this summer, and if no deal happens, he will still back himself to show what he can do with Brighton next season.