Kieran Tierney

Obviously the question is entirely about his long term ability to remain fit, and in truth with footballers there is no such thing as a certainty, however if the medicos do feel he will be up to it, I can see the long term point here.

1. As things stand, Greg Taylor & Alex Valle are both set to leave at the end of the season, while Bernabei has parted company. So there is a need for a long term first choice LB. Adam Montgomery is not the answer and there a couple of other younger guys liike Matthew Anderson and Mitchel Frame who are both coming through, but are not ready to be the guy, while helping to guide these guys til they are ready to make that full step up.

2. CalMac will be 32 when the new season kicks off. He may have 2-3 seasons at most where he will be a reliable first choice. Could it be that KT is being eyed with the potential to be next in line to take over the armband long term, but give him a couple of seasons to bed back in and re-establish his influence over the dressing room while CalMac is still there. KT grew up Celtic and is currently 27, so in a couple of seasons will still be 29-30 and would be a viable option to lead the team for 4-5 seasons thereafter?

 

All for this and if it's loan with pre contract, while we still have Taylor and Valle here, that's great.
Ease him back in and make the switch to KT starting LB for next season.

Would signal the end of Taylor for me though.
I can't see us giving him an improved contract at his age and ability on bigger wages to just be a backup.

Valle would make more sense, even if it's a one year loan extension (but ideally a perm signing, Barca could toss in a buy back option like they did for Crosas).

And from there look to really being on a youth prospect again that will take over long term when both KT and Valle(?) move on again.


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Makes a lot of sense Taz…

… although instinct and history tells me that KT still being a professional footballer at 34/35 is quite unlikely… plenty players with injury free careers are done by then. For one dogged by injury it’s more than optimistic.

That said… I hope I’m wrong and it proves to be a fruitful and long-term signing.

I suppose we have to trust the folk running things. You never know.. not sure what his aptitude for coaching is.. but he could end up a John Kennedy type with more to offer should his playing come to an abrupt end.

 

An instant upgrade and a great player when fit, but will miss tons of important games through injury. Are our board just out of ideas when it comes to LB? Because this just seems very unimaginative.

 

Him being in the squad means little. If Arsenal do loan him, again I'd imagine once CL groups done.

 

Aye he's on the bench

 

Lot of that makes sense.

The 1 thing that doesn't was sending Anderson back to Austrian 2nd division for another season. He had done well there and done well during pre season.

Sending him to an spfl team this season and he'd have been perfect option to be Tierney's back up

 

Guaranteed to come on at 70 mins and pull his hammy just our luck

 

What an upgrade it would be to get Tierney back in. Hoping this gets done soon. Next season we would likely have Tierney first choice and Anderson as back up who I think looks quality. Two great options

 

The quality of him is not the worry with this transfer at all, Tierney fit is genuinely up there with the best LB’s in the world.

I will absolutely die on the hill that between fully fit top of their game Tierney or Robertson it’s not even close who’s better, and that’s Tierney.

And I love Andy Robertson as well, big Tim and never hid his love for us, love his attitude, think he is an amazing player and he’s up there with the best LB’s the last 8/9 years since he went to Liverpool. And no question he’s been better than Tierney, because he’s been available and consistent, so not downplaying Robertson either. But I will absolutely stand by that opinion.

 

Opened this thread 100% ready for seeing the latest comments saying injured after seeing he was on the bench. Was actually very surprised when it wasn’t

 

It'll happen soon enough. Lunacy we are even considering signing him. Not sure I've ever seen Celtic come close to this sort of signing. Obvious he'll break down badly pretty soon.

Most important position to address and we are literally rolling the dice on it if we sign Tierney. Gross mismanagement regardless of the actual outcome.

 

Depends on his contract and we’ll never know the structure, lower weekly and heavy bonus appearances to make him a high earner when he’s playing? That’s a great deal.

If it’s not like that and a high wage regardless, it’s very unlike us and a very risky deal. I’m unsure he’d pass the medical.

But honestly last two seasons CCV averaged 30 games a season, and elevated us that much while wishing he was fit all the time, we all were thankful we had him, and they 30 games he’s worth it. Tierney is a higher level than even CCV, he is genuinely up there with the best LB’s in the world - when fit and playing - and that’s the part that. But if we can get even that amount of games from him a season, I’m fine with that. His fitness and his affinity for Celtic is the only reason we can even think we could do this. Without him being a massive Tim, even with his injuries it would be beyond us, and without the injuries even with his support for us it would definitely be.

But I think this is me being optimistic wanting it to work out at all because I * love Tierney, when it seems to be 100% happening. I’ve argued to not do it before then in here.


So really, I now think * it, I love Tierney and would love seeing him for us again. * the gamble of it, it’s happening, lets be buzzing to see him back here.

 

I get that but also disagree entirely with it.

Tierney will be top of our wage structure, almost certainly break it big time. Anyone kidding themselves on in this is deluded. This is an exercise in Rodgers and Lawell redemption. The absolutely 2 least worthy individuals of redemption when it comes to Tierneys previous involvement with the club.

Also, Tierney coming back is for him, which is fine, but the rhetoric that's he's some uber-Celtic fan is * nonsense. He's a homebod who wants to be in Scotland not Newcastle or Leicester. Plenty have committed more to Celtic than Tierney, McStay, Forrest, Lennon, Burns, to name a few. He's not even close to anything those players have done for the club. Would really rather we went with Frame and/or Anderson and developed our own players.

He's a brilliant player when fit, but he's never fit, and when fit breaks down. But similar to CCV who has cost us by his absences in Europe plenty spinning the known risks as unknown is just ridiculous. I had begun to think Rodgers was taking us forward as a club but this is a huge step back for me.

Best case I see it will be similar to Defoe at the Huns.

Like every Celtic player, if he signs will have my support but definitely not buzzing about it. Hated seeing Rodgers constantly playing him injured last time round. Haven't really forgiven Rodgers for that and this just feels like he's going to do it again.

 

Can’t pick a flaw in any of that either, so I’ll go with hope it works out but if it goes the way I think injuries hampering him to minimal appearances a season - BR signing him on a high earning deal, Lawwell being involved giving him that, then * it we probably owe him that and they two doing it especially. Because I am 100% of the opinion we * ruined his career, and saying at one point we asked him if he was ok to play through injuries - and we done that a lot, is * bullshit. Heart of a lion, he would say yes on his deathbed and burst a gut during the game. So if his body has broke down so he won’t be seen much, * it, he deserves it from us as well.

 

@NomDePlum honestly more I think of it the biggest surprise about him apparently on the verge of coming back is that he’s willing to play for us under Rodgers, Lennon asked him to play against the Huns and he was clearly * and that’s cos Lenny’s an old school dafty who done it himself in his career and always made sure he was available.

Rodgers done the damage though, and he’s a very modern manager, who is invested in sports science and the fitness aspect of the game, and players having the best chance of always being fully fit. And that for me still rankles me about BR, as much as this season has warmed me to him again, that part of him leaving and the players he damaged knowing full well what he was doing. That’s something I won’t forget.

There’s a reason after he left Rogic couldn’t play for a full season. He done the same with him, injections to play against * Dundee - a guy even Lenny managed carefully fitness wise. We’re lucky Calmac’s a freak of nature really, * machine.

 

Hope it works out too.

Don't actually think we owe Tierney anything. He's a multimillionaire, and chose to be that. Good on him. Much better outcome for him than if he'd stayed. * knows what state he'd be in now if he had.

More just don't want to see Rodgers pretending it's a brilliant move as really digs up memories of why I have issues with Rodgers. This conversation is really cementing why I hope he doesn't come as just don't see it going well. But I'm often wrong so hopefully that happens again.

 

I probably an exaggeration but my point is I think we * his career, looked after our own self interest with no care about what it was doing to him. * when he signed for Arsenal the first thing they did was make sure he had specialised treatment and training for him. We ran him into the ground, while injured as well.

He’s set for life money wise, but he was set for Real Madrid a year in at Arsenal, until he broke down again. He could have had a career to eclipse most players this countries had, and that’s what I mean with * it anyway we probably owe him it if he is always injured not playing.