This season, the talented centre midfielder has been playing well in the Premier League.
Brendan Rodgers should have been relieved that Celtic avoided losing any of their important first-team players to European teams during the January transfer window.
Last summer, the Northern Irish head coach returned to Glasgow for a second stint with the team, but he suffered two setbacks when Carl Starfelt and Jota left for Al Ittihad in Saudi Arabia and Celta Vigo in Spain, respectively.
Of course, the Hoops are no strangers to selling big names; over the years, players like Fraser Forster, Victor Wanyama, Virgil van Dijk, Odsonne Edouard, and Moussa Dembele have all left for European teams.
But last month, they managed to hold onto the services of people like Cameron Carter-Vickers, Kyogo Furuhashi, and Matt O’Riley, among others.
The club’s worst-case scenario for a star sale was Ryan Christie’s transfer to Bournemouth, as his worth has increased over the ensuing years to surpass O’Riley’s.
In an attempt to advance from the Championship, the Cherries pounced on the Scotland international in the summer of 2021 for a rumoured £2.5 million.
According to Sky Sports, Scott Parker’s team beat out Burnley, a Premier League team, to win his services for the 2021–2022 season and beyond.
The gifted midfielder had a great run with the Hoops as a flexible attacking option for the team before Bournemouth signed him.
In 151 appearances across all competitions, Christie contributed 41 goals and 44 assists for the Bhoys, demonstrating his skill as a creator as well as a goal scorer.
The former star of Inverness played much of his Celtic career as an attacking midfielder, though he was also used occasionally on the left and right flanks.
In 2020–21, he was a consistent starter for Neil Lennon and made an impression with 26 Scottish Premiership starts, five goals, and nine assists.
In addition to his ability to score and set up goals, Christie was also an effective dribbler who could draw people to help his team move up the pitch. The table above illustrates his consistent high calibre of play in midfield for Celtic.
His outstanding performances for the Hoops in the Scottish Premier League were sufficient to persuade Burnley and Bournemouth to compete for his signature at the end of the season.
As you can see in the table above, Christie maintained an impressive performance level in midfield for Celtic with his ability to score and create goals, whilst also being an efficient dribbler who could take opposition players on to push his team up the pitch.
His superb displays in the Scottish top-flight for the Hoops were enough to convince Burnley and Bournemouth to battle it out for his signature at the end of the campaign.
However, the Bhoys only received a fee of £2.5m for his services, as his contract was due to expire the following summer, and his value has soared since that move away from Parkhead.
As of today, February 27, 2024, FootballTransfers’ estimate of his Expected Transfer Value (xTV) is an astounding €12.7 million (£10.9 million), a substantial amount more than Celtic’s £2.5 million offer for him.
