IT WAS always a case of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ Kieran Tierney would return to Celtic on the August 8 day in 2019 when he was lured to Arsenal in a record £25million deal.
The 27-year-old Scotland international left-back never attempted to disguise his affection for his boyhood favourites and, depending on who you read or listen to, it appears he is on his way back to Paradise.
With his contract at the London club expiring in June, Tierney, according to a report in The Telegraph, has already knocked back interest from three Premier League clubs – West Ham, Brentford and Leicester City.
BHOY WONDER…Kieran Tierney with one of his early Premiership silverware conquests.
My sources from across the border have informed me Bournemouth have been on the defender’s case for a couple of months without receiving any joy.
It seems as though Tierney has his heart set on an emotional return to the east end of Glasgow.
Of course, as you and I know, the resolute back-four operator has a great devotee in Brendan Rodgers and you only have to reflect on an interview in CQN in July 2023 just one month after the Irishman had staged his own Celtic comeback to emphasise the mutual admiration between the two.
At the time, Tierney had dropped down the pecking order at the Gunners and was apparently a loan target for the Parkhead club.
Back then, Rodgers admitted: “There have been lots of players linked with here with me coming back.
“All I know is Kieran is like myself, we loved our time here. When I spoke to him down the road in the Premier League, every time we met up all we talked about was Celtic.
“You can just never say never in football. Who knows what might happen?
“He was a massive part of my time here, so there will always be that link. You never know.”
GOVAN HEAVEN…Kieran Tierney celebrates with Celtic team-mates Jozo Simunovic, Scott Sinclair and Scott Brown after yet another win at Ibrox.
I said at the time in CQN it was most unlikely any deal would transpire. Arsenal were looking for maximum exposure as they attempted to recoup some of their initial financial outlay and Celtic and Scotland were not the platform they would have embraced to put their player in the transfer shop window.
The London club’s hierarchy were looking at the bigger picture – we’re talking Spain, France, Italy and Germany outside their own shores – and it was no surprise the defender pitched up at Real Sociedad on a season-long temporary move.
The La Liga outfit more than likely paid a reasonable loan transfer fee while meeting a percentage of Arsenal’s wages demand. Both of these cash outlays would probably have been prohibitive to the champions.
The hamstring injury which has cursed Tierney throughout his career struck again in Spain although he still did manage 22 outings for the club in a 38-game league term.
At the end of the campaign, clearly no business was done and the player, earning £120,000-per-week at Mikel Arteta’s team, was on his way back to London.
And here we are today, dear reader. Tierney is back on the tightrope.
His old club will be fully aware his legs are highly unlikely to cope with the rigours of an entire season.
Forget all the hoo-ha about Tierney’s possible return impacting on Greg Taylor’s contractual situation. That’s an entirely different argument.
Taylor’s representatives and the Hoops hierarchy have been negotiating terms for months and have reached an impasse.
I am not privy to details, but I have picked up the odd whisper and, if the sum mentioned is accurate, there will have to be a compromise somewhere along the line or the defender will be plying his trade elsewhere.
SHAKE ON IT…Kieran Tierney and Brendan Rodgers first-time around.
This has nothing to do with Tierney. As we are all aware, any ambitious club requires two very capable players challenging for each position.
Celtic, fairly bizarrely, do not currently have that necessity in the No.3 slot with Alexandro Bernabei off the radar since his March loan to SC Nacional. He won’t be back.
A fee will be agreed – there are many ways of getting these deals over the line – and that will leave Rodgers with a massive problem going into the second half of the season. No Bernabei, possibly no Taylor and Alex Valle’s loan from Barcelona has only five months to run.
Arsenal’s stance on Tierney since last summer has changed dramatically. They have written off any hopes of a decent transfer fee for the player and a loan switch will now be welcomed.
That leaves the way open for a Rodgers-Tierney reunion.
But there could be a wobble along the way as the former fans’ favourite performs his high-wire act en route to his next destination.
ALEX GORDON
