Pundit Simon Jordan has said AFC Bournemouth midfielder Ryan Christie has taken the 'soft option' by joining the Cherries from former Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in the summer, speaking on talkSPORT.

The 25-year-old had just a few months left on his deal in Glasgow as the transfer deadline approached last month and with the Scotland international failing to put pen to paper on a new deal, Ange Postecoglou's side decided to cash in on him despite seeing him become a key player north of the border in recent seasons.

In total, Christie recorded 24 goals and 27 assists in the last three Scottish Premiership campaigns, helping his side to stay near the summit of the table despite losing out to arch-rivals Rangers last term.

 

 

He linked up with AFC Bournemouth on transfer deadline day for a reported £3m fee - and joins a side who currently find themselves in the automatic promotion spots after Tuesday night's 2-1 victory against promotion rivals Queens Park Rangers at the Vitality Stadium.

Along with the likes of Fulham and West Bromwich Albion who are also flying high in the Championship as things stand, they are likely to be in contention for a top-two spot, with anything less than a place in the play-offs potentially being deemed a failure by the majority of people.

Christie is likely to be heavily involved in this exciting race to the Premier League, but former Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan believes Christie has shown a lack of ambition with this move down south instead of staying with Celtic, saying on talkSPORT: "I think he has taken the soft option.

"Bournemouth are a very nice option, it’s probably a very decent salary because they have a Russian owner who is still enjoying the second year of Premier League parachute payments.

"I think it is a lovely place to live, he will probably get more money playing for Bournemouth than for Celtic.

"But certainly it is not a footballing decision of advancing oneself.

"If you were going to advance yourself you should be playing for an established Premier League side, which is Burnley."

The Verdict:

Many people would totally disagree with Simon Jordan on this topic - and you wouldn't blame them either.

Ryan Christie has already proved his worth in the Scottish Premiership, not just with Celtic, but Aberdeen as well. It may have been a nice challenge for the 25-year-old to try and help Celtic win back the league title after losing it to Rangers - but he's already reached his ceiling individually in Scottish football - he can't go any higher.

This is why the move to AFC Bournemouth is an exciting one. He may have rejected a move to Burnley, but he may want to test himself in the English second tier first and with the Cherries in the Championship, he may believe he'll get more first-team minutes on the south coast.

The midfielder could have easily signed a new contract at Celtic Park and stayed where he was, but if anything, that was the 'soft option' after already being used to life in his home nation.

At Bournemouth, he has a real chance of getting to the Premier League and if they can maintain the form they have shown over the past month or so, it would be no surprise to see the 25-year-old ply his trade there in 12 months time.