Kieran Tierney admits he will only return to Parkhead if he can produce at the same level he did during his first Celtic stay.
However, Hoops great Tosh McKinley has assured the Scotland defender that he would be warmly welcomed back.
Tierney left Celtic in 2019 after winning eight titles during a glorious era for the childhood fan. Arsenal’s record-breaking £25 million offer enticed him to North London, although he has spent the previous year on loan at La Liga club Real Sociedad after failing to make Mikel Arteta’s Gunners plans.
It is unknown what Tierney’s immediate future holds after suffering what Steve Clarke termed as a ‘serious’ injury during Scotland’s match against Switzerland. It is expected that he will miss their final game against Hungary, and his situation will be assessed again in the coming days. His future remains uncertain, but sources in the south believe the Premier League heavyweights are now willing to let him go for a fee in the region of £10 million, boosting expectations among Celtic fans that the 27-year-old may be persuaded back home.
Tierney, who has also suffered knee and hamstring ailments in the last two seasons, stated in an interview this week that he will only consider an emotional homecoming if he believes he can make the same impact to Brendan Rodgers’ club as he did the first time around.
“I still miss it but I knew life would never be the same,” he told the Athletic. “I was living my dream. Being a footballer is the dream but playing for Celtic was the ultimate. I left that to go and challenge myself in the Premier League and come up against the best to see how I’d cope. If I go back, I want to be feeling how I did there before.
“I’ll be a different player to what I was, as I’ve been away for years, but I wouldn’t want to go back if I wasn’t feeling 100 per cent in my body. I know the intensity and the demand to win so, if I go back, it will be when I’m still feeling good.”
But McKinley reckons the Scotland defender has nothing to worry about. The former Hoops ace – who now works in Rodgers’ scouting department – said: “Kieran has done the business here and won a lot of trophies.
“He’s gone to England and then to Real Sociedad, so we will have to see what happens next. It will be entirely up to the manager and Kieran if he wants to come back. But he’s a cult hero here, so it would be great to have him back.
“I wouldn’t say he’s got unfinished business because he won it all first time round, lifted a lot of trophies, was involved in Trebles and an Invincible season. Kieran is a great player and it will be be decided by him if he wants to come back or not.”
Rangers are facing another massive overhaul after failing to stop Celtic’s Double drive last year. However, Celtic are in the fortunate position of needing to make a few recruits this summer.
The first task will be to fill Joe Hart’s No. 1 jersey now that he has retired, and McKinley concedes it will be difficult to find someone to replace the 37-year-old.
He said: “I’m looking forward to the new season. Obviously we’re coming off the back of another Double so everything is on the up and I’m really looking forward to the season ahead.
“We’ll be looking to freshen it up. It’s still to be decided [what is needed]. I’m obviously part of the scouting department and we’ve been working over the summer to see what the manager thinks about what he needs to bring in.
“There will be a bit of tinkering. You do need to freshen it up every couple of years so I do think the manager will look to bring in a few this summer. When you play for Celtic it’s about competition for places. There must always be someone there ready to take your jersey.
“At this moment in time we definitely need a goalie with Joe Hart leaving, so the No1 spot is up for grabs. But it’s all about competition at Celtic Park and you can never rest on your laurels.
“You have to make sure you do the business, so that that guy coming in trying to take your jersey doesn’t get it. Joe was a big presence in the changing room. He had been over the course – 75 England caps tells you that – and so it was a great coup for us to sign him in the first place. Now he’s retired and he’s left big gloves and big boots to fill.
“Joe is exactly the type of character you need if you’re going to go course and distance in a title race. We were wondering how we were going to fill Scott Brown’s shoes but then Callum McGregor stepped up.
“It’s going to be important that we get a goalkeeper now who has big stature and a big presence but also a big influence in the changing room.”
The Celtic fans are still waiting for Parkhead officials to approve Adam Idah’s signing. The Irishman made a significant contribution during his loan spell at Norwich last season, scoring crucial goals to help Celtic win the league before winning the Scottish Cup final against Rangers.
His parent club, Carrow Road, wants £6 million before allowing him to return to Glasgow, but McKinley believes it would be money well spent. He remarked, “Adam has certainly demonstrated that he is of the calibre necessary at Celtic. Look at the games he started; he did the business.
“He also came on in the Cup Final to grab the winning goal so he’s definitely got the credentials to play for Celtic. We lost Giorgos Giakoumakis who gave us a different option up front. But bringing Adam in gave us again that presence up front.
“Kyogo likes to get across the front, stretch teams, while Adam is more about holding the ball up and bringing others into play – plus he can get you a goal. So he gives us that different dimension.”
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