Danny Mills believes that finances may have been a factor in why Ryan Christie chose to leave Celtic for Bournemouth this summer.
The Lowdown: Ryan Christie was an important player for Celtic
The 26-year-old was an important player at Parkhead during his six years with the Hoops, registering 85 goal contributions in 151 games, with 41 goals and 44 assists to his name [Transfermarkt].
Six trophies later, the Scotland international has recently moved to Bournemouth on an undisclosed fee [BBC], a transfer perhaps made easier due to him being out of contract at Parkhead in January 2022 [GIVEMESPORT].
Former Manchester City defender Mills has now weighed in with his thoughts on why Christie moved south of the border.
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The Latest: Danny Mills drops his verdict on Christie’s Bournemouth move
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Football Insider, the 44-year-old claimed:
“I’m guessing the finances are a lot greater at Bournemouth than they are at Celtic. It was a bizarre situation with his contract being up in January of all times.
“He’ll be delighted. Bournemouth with the parachute payments will still be decent payers.
“It’s a chance for him to get into the Premier League. Is he good enough for the Premier League? Possibly not.
“Now he’s got an opportunity with a decent club under a good young manager to get them back into the Premier League. Look at it in a year’s time and it could be a really good move for him.”
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The Verdict: Celtic will hope to supplement Christie’s influence with like-minded alternatives
The unusual stipulations surrounding Christie’s contractual situation, which Mills rightly labelled “bizarre”, perhaps made any potential exit easier to complete.
Nevertheless, the signing of Benfica winger Filipe Jota will help to soften the blow of the Scot’s departure in the recently-concluded transfer window.
Christie enjoyed a productive 2020/21 campaign for the Celts, picking up six man of the match awards [WhoScored]. He also recorded an average of 2.7 shots per game (second highest after Odsonne Edouard), showing his unwillingness to relent from an attacking perspective.
Moving forward, Ange Postecoglou will be hoping to supplement Christie’s influence with like-minded alternatives within his squad at Parkhead.
In other news, a Celtic legend has dropped his verdict on a new signing. Find out more here.
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