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Fullname: Kieran Tierney
aka: KT, YKT (Young Kieran Tierney)
Born: 5 June 1997
Birthplace: Douglas, Isle of Man
Signed: 1 July 2014 (Celtic youth)
Left: 8 August 2019 (£25m to Arsenal)
Position: Defender, Full-back, Left-Back, Left-Wingback
Debut: Dundee 1-2 Celtic, SP, 22 Apr 2015
Squad No.: 63
Internationals: Scotland
International Caps: ? [complete at end of career]
International Goals: ? [complete at end of career]
Biog
| “I only dreamed about playing for Celtic. It was always a Celtic strip that I wore.” Kieran Tierney (Jan 2016) |
The Manx-born Kieran Tierney is one of those players whom we all wish we could have been. A long term fan and attendee at Celtic matches over many seasons, he worked hard to make his way through the youth ranks to play for the first team.
The best way to assess the golden start Tierney had is to compare that to his Celtic colleague Islam Feruz. Feted as the next big thing in Scottish youth football, Islam Feruz had his head turned by mega bucks at Chelsea and chased it down only to see his career sink before he even had a chance to swim. Taking in that various people at Celtic had helped Islam Feruz personally in his life, his turning his back on Celtic was quite pathetic as was his brash, rude and well publicised arrogant nature.
Tierney in comparison was like a foil to Feruz; he did much in stark contrast to Feruz, and it paid off. Relatively grounded, Tierney didn’t let things go to his head and worked and persevered, just proud and happy to play for his first love – Celtic – and it showed.
Physically, he was tall with an initially slight built, but Tierney used intelligence as much as skill in taking on opponents. Good with the ball at his feet, he was intelligent enough to know that you just can’t go into every tackle, and you could see that he was working hard to anticipate opposition players to avoid any possible challenges needed. In any case, he was a good tackler too, and his colleagues found he was a great team worker. If anything, he was not afraid to move forward with the ball too, and often in games played more as a wing-back rather than just as a traditional full-back. In time he developed a great shot on him too, scoring some exceptional goals.
His style made him a keen attraction for agents from around the continent but his heart was always first & foremost at Celtic.
He was both on & off the field, a model professional, something that was wonderful to see after watching too many other up and coming Scottish youngsters let it all go their heads and throwing it all away. As Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers put it:
“He lives his life to be a player, he’s not drinking, he trains like an animal every day and wherever you ask him to play he plays it to a high level. Tactically he’s improving all the time and he’s an absolute joy to work with.” (2017)
Ronnie Deila era
Young Tierney arrived on the scene as one of the few highlights at the start of the 2015/16 season, coming on for fan’s favourite Izaguiere. In any case, steady performances showed already that Tierney had class. The Deila managerial experiment had hit the skids, in what was a humiliating 2-0 defeat at home to Norwegian side Molde, Tierney despite only being 18 was not only the best player on the field but put the rest of his colleagues to shame.
He was to be a regular through the season, and as the team seemed to not hit the heights (despite winning the league) and seeming to be faltering, he was though an exception with many positive reports. It was good experience for him.
Tierney scored his debut goal in a 7-0 victory over Motherwell at the end of the 2015/16 season. A great ending to a season taken lukewarm by many supporters with the manager leaving, but it was to be a key game in that it was to be the first in a long unbeaten run for Celtic which Tierney was to play a key part to come.
Already he was being earmarked by all as the successor to the increasingly off form Izaguirre at the left back role, and the fan’s knew that they had a cracking new talent on their hands, as could be seen in being awarded Players & Writers young player awards.
On the other hand, there was concern over his then lack of athleticism, but he was at this point still young and patience was needed. In many ways, Tierney should be thankful to Deila who was a great coach for young players. The supporters on the terraces aren’t the most patient bunch, but Deila bled young players in and gave them chances whilst others would not. It made a big difference, and Tierney was one of the stars from this stable.
He came much to the fore in season 2016/17 under new manager Brendan Rodgers who recognised his precocious talent and helped develop him. In an incredible season which saw Celtic undefeated domestically lifting the treble, Tierney was a stand out with a number of maturing performances. The defence was still not settled and convincing but both full backs were having a great season.
The cherry on the cake came with a little drama in the Scottish Cup final. Elbowed in the mouth causing injury, Tierney left the game premature for hospital. However he rushed back, and still in his kit he ran through the crowds outside the ground back into the ground to make it for the trophy presentation. A wonderful sight.
As a measure of the respect the management had for him, into season 2017/18 he was made Celtic’s youngest ever captain in a 5-0 match v Kilmarnock (Aug 2017), and capped that with a wonder strike of a goal which was the highlight of the evening. Some were concerned it was too much too soon, but Tierney was just enjoying the whole experience. He was to keep his feet on the ground and handle the attention maturely.
When he first broke through people were worried about an innate lack of athleticism, but now there was pace, power, and with the ability to play in several positions. He played in a defence was to be many a time criticised, but he was not part of the problem with the central defenders the main issue. Tierney’s role was thundering along the wing and provided as much strength in attack for assists as in defence. His tackling and timing was excellent, and this could be seen by that teams were far more likely to attack via the right-back area (targetting the ageing Lustig) than via Tierney’s left-back corner. His commitment was 100% and that could be seen from his personal & physical development.
This incredible form carried Celtic through what was to be the incredible Treble-Treble years, as Celtic went on to win nine domestic trophies in a row. Even Rodgers prematurely leaving Celtic in season 2018/19 didn’t dent anything, and the dedication shown by Tierney was in marked contrast. Tierney never hid his support and love for the club, and even led celebrations and taught fellow players the songs. He was one of the icons of this achievement, especially as Celtic were chasing to achieve matching the record nine league titles in a row.
Tierney was the most heralded player many a time, pushing the first team and always giving his all. Disaster struck in season 2018/19 when Tierney was lost for much of the second half of the season due to a hip injury needing surgery. The big problem was that he was playing too many games, statistics showing he had played amongst the most games of anyone in Europe. His dedication was actually harming him in some ways, but maybe this break was for the long-term best.
This era under Rodgers had developed Tierney to be the best young Scottish player playing in the country for generations. Ironically, ex-Celtic youth player Andy Robertson was also a left-back and heralded as world class but this was down south at Liverpool. Celtic were going through a purple patch in the development of youth players with the elder McGregor and Forrest winning plaudits from all over, whilst young Ajer, Dembele, Ralston and Johnston were coming to the fore. These young players owed much to the influence of Tierney, and if anything they wanted to emulate Tierney. It was a vital asset that was working for Celtic, and was a gift to Neil Lennon who took over at manager when Rodgers left prematurely in 2019.
Other young players who came to Celtic were also positively influenced by Tierney such as Christie and Roberts. Paddy Roberts in particular struck up a close friendship with Tierney which was often humoured about on social media.
Departure from Celtic
Tierney was being noticed across the football world and inevitably this attention would bring speculation. It was always a risk, with Arsenal starting the bids with a relatively derisory £15m, but settled on £25m. Publicly there were no other competing suitors with firm bids made. Arsenal were in a rut and desperate to regain their lost status, sitting outside even the Champions League spots for qualification let alone even near the EPL title. Tierney in the current marketplace was a relatively economically priced target for them, with a posted £75k per week salary well above anything Celtic could afford to pay.
The agreed price was definitely undervaluing Tierney when lesser players in England were going for more, their values inflated in comparison due to the EPL tag they carried as against Tierney’s Scottish League experience.
In August 2019, Tierney signed for Arsenal for a then record £25m Scottish transfer record. The irony is that the day before the signing, his replacement at Celtic had a dreadful game for Celtic v Cluj in the Champions League qualifiers, which highlighted just what a loss Tierney was going to be for Celtic.
He’d helped Celtic to the incredible domestic Treble-Treble, he’d won ten trophies and played in the Champions League Group stages. Celtic had won a trophy in each of the ten domestic title runs he had played in at least a single game over his time at Celtic.
He was a lynchpin in the team defence, and ever reliable. His love for the club could not be faulted and was genuine. He’d scored some great goals and played in many wonderful matches. He was the icon for this brief era for some, especially for the younger Celtic supporters some of whom were to take the news of his departure hard.
He was possibly leaving prematurely at just 22, but he was mature beyond his years. A couple more years at Celtic would have done him good, but in fairness the final decisions were likely out of his hands due to the financial considerations involved. Later comments from Tierney and Celtic confirmed that the final decision was by Tierney who wished to pursue the move.
It was a double edged moment as it spoke volumes of the success of the youth scheme at Celtic, and there had been many good results in this period, but Tierney was the fans’ favourite. Other Celtic youth successes were still in the first team and plying their trade like McGregor & Forrest. Sadly, Tierney was going to miss the opportunity to help Celtic match nine league titles in a row.
We wished him the best, he would be very much missed.
Post-Celtic
He went on to make for himself a great name at Arsenal as a fan favourite, but in season 2022/23, his manager ended up rotating him endlessly with another left-back (Zinchenko) due to the team tactics he preferred to employ which led to Tierney ridiculously spending an inordinate amount of time on the bench. His Arsenal side ended up coming close but failing to win the league title in 2022/23, blowing a comfortable points lead.
He moved to Real Sociedad on loan in 2023, but his time was blighted by two hamstring injuries. He was touted for a transfer away from Arsenal in the summer of 2024, with even an inkling that he could return to Celtic. However, in Euro 2024, he suffered another serious hamstring injury after 60mins v Switzerland (Jun 2024), which likely ended any hopes of a transfer to kick-start his career. It was a bittersweet evening as Scotland regrouped to earn a 1-1 draw to drag themselves back into contention to quality from the group stages, but to see Tierney go down was a blow, and very painful to say the least for himself. He was still much in respect from all across the Celtic support, and all were wishing him all a speedy recovery.
Rumours began in August 2024 of a possible return for Tierney, as with his injuries record there was to be little demand for his services, but it was unlikley until at least the summer of 2025 when the last season of his contract was to begin. […]
Quotes
“When you’re younger some people dream about playing in the English Premier League but I only dreamed about playing for Celtic. It was always a Celtic strip that I wore.”
Kieran Tierney (Jan 2016)
“I always learn the songs and tell the boys all of them, so if there is a new tune I will let the boys know.”
Kieran Tierney (Feb 2017)
“He lives his life to be a player, he’s not drinking, he trains like an animal every day and wherever you ask him to play he plays it to a high level. Tactically he’s improving all the time and he’s an absolute joy to work with.”
Brendan Rodgers on Tierney as he wins his first match as captain, against Killie in League Cup (Aug 2017)
“When I was at school and I was picking my subjects we had to put down what we wanted to do as a job. I always picked football but the teachers told me I couldn’t do that and that I should write down ‘joiner’ or something like that.”
Kieran Tierney (Aug 2018)
“The interaction between the fans and the players is what makes a club. I think it’s special, especially here. It’s second to none.”
Kieran Tierney (Dec 2018)
“It’s the right age and the right time for Celtic and Kieran Tierney. He’s won everything he can at Celtic outside of Europe and he’s going to Arsenal to try and do something in Europe, the Premier League, advance his career, stake his claim for that Scotland left-back spot. He just needs to get fit and try to put his best foot forward. This could be very good for him.”
Journalist Tom English on Kieran Tierney (Aug 2019)
“How good is he? I was fortunate to play with Tommy Gemmell and Danny McGrain. I have no hesitation putting young Kieran in that bracket in terms of the great full-backs produced by Celtic.”
Ex Celt Davie Hay (Aug 2019)
[…]
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES | LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2014-15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2015-16 | 23 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 33 |
| Goals | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 2016-17 | 24 | 5 | 2 | 9 | 40 |
| Goals | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2017-18 | 32 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 55 |
| Goals | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 2018-19 | 21 | 2 | 3 | 14 | 40 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 102 |
16 |
11 |
41 |
170 |
| Goals | 5 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
8 |
Honours with Celtic
Scottish Cup
Scottish League Cup
Pictures
KDS
Articles
Tierney: Debut was a dream come true
By: Kenny McKay on 03 Aug, 2014 12:29
http://www.celticfc.net/news/6375
KIERAN Tierney has revealed that he is still struggling to believe that he has made his debut in the Celtic first team.
The 17-year-old was introduced just after the hour mark as Celtic faced Tottenham Hotspur in their final pre-season friendly at Helsinki’s Olympic Stadium.
In the baking heat of the Finnish capital, the Bhoys stuttered to a 6-1 defeat against their English Premier League opposition, with three goals arriving in each half.
However, as the youngster stood on the touchline preparing to enter the action, Tierney admitted he had put the scoreline to one side.
He said: “It was a dream come true but such a shame about the result. At the time, I wasn’t even thinking about the score. All I had in my head was that I was playing for the team that I’ve always loved and supported, and all I wanted to do was work hard for the last half hour.
“I just heard the shout for me to warm up but I just froze. I didn’t know what to feel it was just unbelievable. When you are a wee boy, this is what you dream of. It’s been my life’s ambition and it’s just happened.”
The defeat in Helsinki brings to an end the Bhoys’ pre-season fixtures as all eyes are now focused on Wednesday night’s crucial UEFA Champions League qualifying tie with Legia Warsaw at BT Murrayfield.
However, closer to home, Tierney now believes he has a goal to build towards and credits those who have already made the journey as a source of inspiration.
He said: “You want to do what guys like Liam Henderson or James Forrest have done. They’ve came straight through into the first team from the academy. It’s not easy to come through any academy into the first XI so to see James do it in such a big way gives you hope.
“It’s given me a great start but now I want to make my competitive debut. I can only imagine what it feels like to play at Celtic park but that’s what I want to do, that would be something totally different.”
Kieran Tierney: From ball boy to spot facing Molde
http://www.scotsman.com/news/police-probe-rangers-fan-spitting-at-hibs-boy-1-3935195
by STEPHEN HALLIDAY
published 03:36 Tuesday 03 November 2015
THREE years ago this week, Kieran Tierney was a 15-year-old ball boy at one of Celtic Park’s most famous European nights.
When Victor Wanyama headed the opener in the memorable 2-1 Champions League win over Barcelona, Tierney was on duty behind Victor Valdes’ goal and didn’t attempt to hide his emotions as he celebrated along with the rest of a delirious home support.
“I was just at the corner where Wanyama scored and I started to run over,” recalls Tierney. “It’s my favourite memory from a European night. You can’t look past it. I would never have thought at that point that I would play for Celtic in Europe in the next three years.”
That is exactly what Tierney has achieved, of course, making his European debut in the 2-2 draw at home to Fenerbahce last month.
The 18-year-old has made a big impression in recent weeks with a series of eye-catching displays which have marked him out as a serious rival to Emilio Izaguirre as Celtic’s first choice for the left-back position.
But, as he waits to learn if manager Ronny Deila will keep faith with him for Thursday night’s crucial Europa League meeting with Molde at Celtic Park, Tierney is certainly not getting ahead of himself.
“ I was outside the stadium all the time when I was younger… it’s a dream come true to be on the other side now
Kieran Tierney
Perhaps he is appreciative of the career path which has been followed by Tony Watt, who was Celtic’s teenage hero that night against Barcelona when he scored the winning goal.
Watt was unable to live up to the hype which surrounded him and is now plying his trade with English Championship strugglers Charlton Athletic.
Having battled his way through his Academy development at Celtic, during which he was not always regarded as one of the club’s likelier prospects, Tierney is determined to find long-term success as a first-team player.
“Tony is a great player and is doing well for Charlton,” he said. “But I just want to stay with Celtic as long as I can and keep working hard.
“This is what I wanted, but there are times when you think it might never happen. You just need to keep believing. You go through different stages when you are younger.
“You might go a month or two when you are not even getting a game at the age level you are playing in at the Academy and you are only on the bench.
“But you can’t let that affect you at all. You just have to keep working as hard as possible. If you do that and the manager believes in you, then you will get a chance.
“I was still at school when that Barcelona game took place. To then be playing in European games three years later feels incredible.”
Tierney’s European debut pitched him in against the not inconsiderable challenge posed by Fenerbahce’s former Manchester United duo Robin van Persie and Nani.
“That would be the most important experience so far for me,” he added. “That was the best experience and definitely the toughest one.
“Of course I was nervous beforehand. There are nerves before every game, but especially when you know Parkhead is going to be nearly full and it’s a big Europa League game.
“I took a lot of confidence from the game. I had a few good reviews about my performance and the manager was happy with me.
“I didn’t try to swap shirts with any of Fenerbahce’s big players afterwards, though, because I wanted to keep my own. That one is getting framed.”
Tierney filled in for the suspended Izaguirre on that occasion but both are available for the visit of Molde which is a game Celtic must win to maintain hopes of qualifying from Group A in the wake of their wretched 3-1 defeat away to the Norwegian side two weeks ago.
“I will be ready if I’m picked,” said Tierney. “It’s 50-50. If the manager picks me I’m ready, but, if not, then I’m not disappointed.
“Emilio is a great professional. The experience he has is amazing and I can only learn from it. He’s been happy to pass on advice. We speak every day and we are very close. He gives me a lot of tips and I can see him up close in training and learn a lot from him.
“It’s good to have that competition. There are great players in every position at Celtic, so, if you want your chance, you need to earn it and when the chance comes round, you need to take it.
“I have definitely played more first-team games than I thought I would have done so far this season. It is obviously hard to get in with Emilio there because he is a great player. I just need to be ready and grasp my chance if it comes.”
Tierney is getting accustomed to a greater degree of recognition from the Celtic supporters and you sense it is something the personable youngster will never take for granted.
“I don’t mind it if the fans want pictures or autographs,” he smiled “It’s actually a good thing because when you are younger that’s what you want. You want people to know who you are and that you play for Celtic.
“I was outside the stadium all the time when I was younger. I would be trying to get autographs and pictures with the likes of Henrik Larsson and Bobo Balde.
“I’d always hassle my dad to wait behind after games. I know what it’s like to be out there, so it’s a dream come true to be on the other side now. It also means I’ll always stop if anyone wants anything, because I know what it’s like.”
Why Kieran Tierney is worth more than Moussa Dembele
Kieran Tierney is the best talent to emerge in Scotland in years. Picture Michael Gillen
By JOEL SKEDhttp://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/teams/celtic/why-kieran-tierney-is-worth-more-than-moussa-dembele-1-4342259
Published: 14:33 Wednesday 18 January 2017
Kieran Tierney is the best Scottish talent to be produced in a number of years and will break the record for the largest fee received by a Scottish club, just not yet, writes Joel Sked.For all the talk about the lack of talent being produced in Scotland, Celtic are currently in possession of one of football’s most gifted 19-year-olds.Coaches, scouts and recruitment analysts putting together algorithms will be hard pressed to find a better full-back under the age of 20 than Kieran Tierney.
Despite little more than 50 first-team matches, the left-back is already a Scottish international and is deservedly attracting attention from the game’s biggest names.
Celtic fans would have woken yesterday morning to speculation linking Tierney with a £10 million move to Manchester United. And they would have been correct in thinking ‘is that all?!’.When Moussa Dembele has been given a £20 million price-tag, it is only right to question why Tierney has been valued quite so low, even if it’s currently no more than speculation.This shouldn’t be taken as a slight on Dembele. After all, he is a French under-21 international, who French boss Didier Deschamps has pinpointed as a player who could make the step up to the senior squad this year. Plus, he is a striker, a position which is always likely to inflate transfer fees.The 20-year-old has scored big goals in big games, as well as displaying a maturity to his all-round game which belies his age. Yet, there are still aspects of his game which will likely deter any vultures sniffing around the striker from stumping up the proposed fee.
Tierney, however, has provided consistent displays of such quality that it would be surprising if he didn’t reach the very highest level. During their embryonic stages players have a number of obstacles still in their way before they can reach their full potential, such as injury, which Tierney is currently having to overcome.But it is difficult to think of another Scottish talent who has emerged so quickly with so many distinguished displays. From the moment he made his debut under Ronny Deila this was a headstrong defender, who only had one thing on his mind, to play to the best of his ability with no half-measures.As team mates with more lucrative contracts, bigger reputations and greater experience flopped, Tierney was the constant, driving colleagues, and the team, forward. He displayed traits of a full-back who had more than 300 top-level games under his belt rather than a couple of dozen.The teenager continued that momentum in to this season. He is a prototype full-back for the modern game, who has characteristics which belong in a different era. It would be surprising if teams from around Europe weren’t keeping tabs on him.
To the naked eye Tierney appears to be no more than a scrawny youngster. However, looks can be very deceiving. He is a powerful athlete capable of covering the left flank, quick to move forward but equally hard-working getting back in to position, retaining the team’s shape. He is fearful in the face of any challenge.Ever since his debut he has slotted in, got to the job at hand, unfazed, displaying few nerves, if any at all, and made the left-back slot his own.If that isn’t impressive enough for a player who won’t celebrate his 20th birthday until June, there is his capabilities with the ball. He endears himself to fans with his positivity in possession, keen to get on the ball and progress play. His footballing intellect has only been improved upon this season by Brendan Rodgers’ harnessing his attacking qualities by pushing him further up the field as the coach tweaked the team’s system.He possesses a wicked cross from different areas of the pitch, and does so with a calmness. Possessing a sharp mind, the left-back analyses the positioning of targets before deciding the appropriate measure needed. Crosses aren’t thrashed at with a ‘hope for the best’ attitude, instead the head is lifted and the ball played accurately and with purpose in to the best area.With Dembele and Leigh Griffiths keen hunters in the box, waiting for the kill, as well as an an array of midfielders looking to burst in to the box, they have the ideal supplier in Tierney, his favoured cut back is of particular help assistance to the club’s attackers. James Forrest must cast envious glances to his team mate’s end product.
It hasn’t all been plain sailing for the teenager. Currently going through rehabilitation from damaged angle ligaments, the injury isn’t the first test he has had to overcome. The Champions League campaign was a useful learning curve; his struggles against Lionel Messi during Celtic’s thumping at the Nou Camp a vital lesson. He responded with an assured display as Celtic were involved in one of the games of the season, the draw at home to Manchester City. He belonged at that level.The recent absence has only emphasised the progression made, and the stature he now carriesn in the team. He has made Emilio Izaguirre no more than a mere squad player. The 2010-2011 player of the season, with 88 Honduran caps, has covered competently for Tierney, but not enough to stop fans pining for the youngster.Astonishingly, in a recent interview, Tierney talked of the doubts he had about getting kept on by his boyhood heroes when full-time contracts were being handed out. But ever since signing on he has grasped the opportunity, and he will likely be held as an exemplary example to youngsters coming through at Lennoxtown.There is an innocence to Tierney which appeals to fans who are discontented with the modernity of football. He has talked of having no interest in playing for an English team in the Premier League when growing up. He simply dreamed of playing for Celtic. Then there is the apocryphal tale of Tierney signing a boot deal with a stipulation inserted that he only wears black boots.During his recovery, Tierney has been able to reconnect with his roots, taking in Celtic games with friends and family. But instead of sitting in the posh seats he has taken up residence among the everyday punters, enjoying the adulation and atmosphere.This is a player who is clearly at ease with his current situation, not one to get carried away or too euphoric when he sees his name linked with football’s titans. The patience and intelligence shown on the field is replicated off it. He will put Rodgers and the fans at ease because it will be highly unlikely that he will agitate for a move. His attitude is one of his defining characteristics.Former-Celtic player George McCluskey, who coached Tierney in the club’s under-17s, said as much.“The biggest thing for me was his attitude,” he told BBC Sportsound. “His attitude was fantastic, he always wanted to improve and he still does to this day.”He will recognise that he is currently under the stewardship of a manager who will help him improve, a manager who feeds off youthful exuberance and application displayed by Tierney. The teenager is the type of player who Rodgers will look forward to coaching each day, making sure that every ounce of ability is extracted.Some football players are constantly in a rush. The next move, the next deal. And for Tierney, the trajectory of his career has been steep. From the under-17s to competing in the Uefa Youth League to a a couple of appearances at the end of the 2014/2015 season to first-team regular. If that wasn’t enough, Scotland caps and Champions League appearances followed. All before turning 20.Fortunately for Celtic, Tierney is only in a hurry to pull on the hooped shirt again, to play football again. There is no rush for Celtic to sell, especially if figures are comparable to what Crystal Palace paid for average Premier League players James Tomkins and Jeffrey Schlupp.And for the player himself, he is clearly content in Glasgow and at Celtic. As a fan there is still plenty for him to achieve both domestically and in Europe. In addition, there is a fight for the Scotland left-back spot to win.
By the time Tierney does leave it will be for one of the game’s biggest names. He’ll do so as a Celtic legend, and will most likely have broken the record for the biggest fee received by a Scottish club. He is that good.
August 2019
BBC
Kieran Tierney: Celtic gain record fee from Arsenal but ‘lose a bit of heart’
By Tom English
BBC Scotland
3 hours ago From the section Celtic
Goals, injuries & celebrations – Tierney’s time at Celtic
When Kieran Tierney settles into life in the Premier League with its riches and its glamour and its global appeal, it would be easy to assume that his life’s ambition had been met. Easy but wrong.
Of course Tierney wants to test himself against the best. Of course he wants to go up against the behemoths, the Mo Salahs, the Sergio Agueros, the Harry Kanes, and with that profile comes wealth on a scale that would have been unimaginable to him even a few years ago. A rumoured weekly salary of £75,000 at Arsenal makes an annual wage of almost £4m not counting bonuses. For a young man who lives quietly and modestly, this is utterly life changing.
Not that he was desperate for his life to change. He was happy with his life. His life was exactly the type of life he dreamed of as a kid. Back in those days, Tierney couldn’t see, and had no interest in seeing, a football world outside the east end of Glasgow.
He said he always hassled his dad to let him hang around after games so that he could collect autographs he had probably already collected multiple times. “I know what it’s like to be out there,” he said of his young self, a child in thrall to Celtic. “When you’re younger some people dream about playing in the English Premier League but I only dreamed about playing for Celtic. It was always a Celtic strip I wore.”
Some may say that Tierney is now entering a better world, a place where his new winger, Nicolas Pepe, was recruited for £72m, where his two new strikers, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette, were brought in for £56m and £46m, where multi-million pound players can sit on the bench or in the stand, largely forgotten, where television revenue is knocking on for £140m a season, where the wage bill is £240m a season, where the turnover is £403m a season.
Tierney might dispute that it’s better at Arsenal. The word he might use instead is different. For as long as he lives, and no matter what glory he achieves in London, it’s hard to envisage him saying anything is better than what he had at Celtic.
That’s where the sadness comes for the supporters at Parkhead. They always knew that this day was coming. Tierney was never in a rush to leave but his talent was too big to be housed in Scotland for the rest of his days.
His departure comes with the soothing balm of that £25m transfer fee and a chunky portion of whatever sell-on fee might accrue down the line, but this was one of their own and it must be especially difficult for them to see him go even though they would have been steeled to its inevitability. Virgil van Dijk went, Victor Wanyama went, Moussa Dembele went. A brilliant spine went, but a bit of heart goes with Tierney.
You have to go back a long time to find a homegrown Celtic player that meant as much to them. They watched him come through the ranks, a tall and skinny youngster with an appetite for the game that was scary. Brendan Rodgers called him an animal. Callum McGregor called him a freak.
His back story is all Celtic. Famously, he was a ball boy on the night they beat Barcelona in the Champions League in 2012. He made his debut at 17 in a pre-season friendly against Tottenham in Helsinki. Celtic lost 6-1, but Tierney said in the aftermath that everything he had ever wished for in life had just come true.
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He was the boy who got elbowed in the mouth in his first Scottish Cup final in 2017, who was taken to hospital and who then, in a madcap dash back to Hampden, sprinted into the stadium still in his kit to be part of the trophy presentation. He was Celtic’s youngest ever captain. He was the guy whose standards very rarely dropped.
In tough times, he stood up. There are many, many images of Tierney thundering down the left flank as if his life depended on it, but one night stands out. It wasn’t even a memorable night, not in a good way at any rate. Celtic were playing Molde in the Europa League. It was November 2015. Ronny Deila was the manager.
Celtic lost 2-1 at home. Parkhead seethed. Their ire flew right and centre, but not left. Tierney was 18 and he was by a million miles their best player. Not just in terms of the quality of his work but the unmistakeable, lung-busting effort he was putting in. As several voices in the crowd said that night, a kid was showing them all up.
‘Both clubs have done well’
Unai Emery’s pursuit of Tierney was drawn out, but that was always going to be the case because Celtic were never going to weaken, not in this transfer deal above all transfer deals. Peter Lawwell, the chief executive, knew that he couldn’t keep his player but he also knew that he wasn’t letting him depart for a shilling less than his value.
Both clubs have done well. A big fee on one side, a big player on the other. Celtic won’t find another Tierney any time soon, but they have serious money to play with at least.
Tierney’s move adds to the growing number of Scots in the Premier League’s upper echelons. Andy Robertson at Liverpool, Scott McTominay at Manchester United, Ryan Fraser at Bournemouth. There was talk of John McGinn and Old Trafford before he committed to a new deal at Aston Villa. Even if that chat was fanciful you can see how the midfielder might be the subject of interest from a heavy hitter if he brings his coruscating Championship into the top level.
Oli McBurnie, a £20m player, is in that league now, along with Kenny McLean and John Fleck. So, too, Stuart Armstrong and Robert Snodgrass. There are others. It’s been an age since so many Scots operated at that level. Things are turning. This is the most exciting group of players in a generation.
Arsenal have invested heavily in their new left-back. It would be a major surprise if they ever have cause to regret it. They’re getting talent, but that’s a given. What they’re also getting is honesty and hard work and the kind of commitment that their fans will recognise and acknowledge in a heartbeat.
Once he gets over his injury, and he’s said to be close, Tierney only has to do one thing in London: be himself.