Middlesbrough appear to take dig at Celtic after Riley McGree move

Not too long ago, Celtic had appeared to be closing in on their fifth signing of the January transfer window in the form of Riley McGree. The Australian international had impressed on loan with Birmingham City and has appeared to catch the attention of several clubs. Ange Postecoglou must have known the player well from his time as the manager of the Australia national team and in that regard, the Hoops were believed to hold an advantage in the transfer race.

Some rumours had even suggested that it was only a matter of time before McGree ended up at Parkhead. But an unexpected transfer twist has seen the midfielder join Middlesbrough instead.

There have been suggestions that Middlesbrough came in with a bigger offer both in terms of the transfer fee and the player’s wages.

McGree has already completed the move to Middlesbrough and the Championship club appeared to take a cheeky dig at Celtic as they tweeted out:

Celtic have missed out on McGree move as Middlesbrough swooped in

McGree could have proven to be a solid signing for Celtic. He has the ability to work in tight spaces as well as the penchant for a moment of magic. While he did not score a lot for Birmingham City, he has shown in the past that he has an eye for goal as well. And his experience in the Championship shows that he is capable of competing in a physical league.

Of course, several Celtic fans raised their eyebrows at the McGree links as well, as the club had already signed Reo Hatate and Yosuke Ideguchi, both midfielders, in the January transfer window.

What is done is done though. Now, it will be interesting to see whether Celtic were only interested in McGree or they wanted another option in the middle of the park in general and end up trying to sign another midfielder this month.