NEIL LENNON has pleaded with Ange Postecoglou to stay away from Celtic’s Matt O’Riley this month.
The Spurs boss brought the Dane to Parkhead in January 2022 from MK Dons for £1.5million.
Now the playmaker is rated in the £25m bracket but former Hoops boss Lenny hopes he’s not a Tottenham target.
He told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “I think Ange will want to bring some strength in depth in next month, whether that’s a couple of loans or them spending more money.
“His recruitment has been brilliant up to this point.
“The players he’s brought in have been great — Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, James Maddison, they’re top quality players who have all impressed.
“He missed a couple of them in that dip, there’s no question about that — but I just want him to stay away from Matt O’Riley for the time being, please and thank you very much!”
Lennon has been impressed at the Aussie’s transition from the Hoops to Spurs.
He said: “The job Ange did at Celtic was great.
“The fans loved his style of play, the all-out attack, the rotations — and you can see that style being implemented at Tottenham as well.
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“It’s never dull, put it that way! And I think he’s building something there to make Spurs real contenders for the top four on a regular basis.
“He’s having a fabulous year, and I’m delighted for him because he’s a great guy.
“I always tune in to watch because you just can’t take your eyes off his team!
“Being the first Spurs boss in ten years not to have Harry Kane available to him, that’s a huge loss of goals he’s had to account for.
“But I think he’s recruited well.”
O’Riley has attracted links to West Ham and Inter Milan – with the Serie A giants said to be keen on a loan and permanent deal in the summer.
But Lennon has already warned the Hoops they should be staving off interest in January and holding out for £30m in the summer.
He said: “Under Brendan he’s scoring a lot of goals, and creating so many opportunities for the team.
“He’s always a threat, and he’s got a real knack of making those late runs into the box, undetected.
“He’s a fantastic talent — and he’s been a brilliant bit of business for the club.
“The priority, for the club, is to keep hold of him. Particularly in January.
“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of offers coming in for him — but I think the club are in a position to stay strong in the January window.
“I do think that Brendan will want to trim the squad in other areas. But I’m sure O’Riley will stay to the end of the season.
“At least that’s what I’m hoping for, anyway!
“But you can’t stop the progress, so I would imagine selling him will be something that Celtic will look at in the summer.
“He’s proven himself at the highest level, in the Champions League.
“He’s been the best player in Scotland this season — so you’re looking at £25-30m for him, at least.”
He added: “I think he’s a top, top player and I believe he could play at a very high level in the Premier League.
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“You know, Celtic will get top dollar for him, I’m sure of that.”
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
