Coyle still keen on Riordan
by Alex Livie, 05 July 2008
Burnley boss Owen Coyle has reaffirmed his admiration for Derek Riordan, but says he has not spoken to Celtic about a fee for the forward.
Riordan has been informed he can head away from Celtic if a suitable offer is tabled and Burnley have been strongly linked with a bid.
Coyle considered taking Riordan as part of a swap deal with Kyle Lafferty, but that plan hit the buffers when Lafferty opted to head for Rangers.
It is fairly apparent that Coyle would love to add Riordan to his ranks, but has admitted he may be forced to look elsewhere for reinforcements.
"It's been well-documented that I'm an admirer of Derek Riordan," said Coyle.
"He was mentioned in the deal for Kyle Lafferty but I haven't spoken to Celtic since Kyle went to Rangers.
"There has been no dialogue regarding what the fee would be for Derek Riordan.
"We are known to be admirers of him but I want my players at Burnley and I want them now.
"If you go after a target and you can't get him, you have to move quickly somewhere else and that's the way we operate."