Hoops should be proud of Tierney’s progress: Brown
SCOTT Brown claims Kieran Tierney’s Arsenal switch is the kind of “fairy-tale” move that would have other European clubs throwing street parties.
Tierney’s departure drew a mixed response from the Celtic faithful with some struggling to comprehend why the 22-year-old would leave his boyhood heroes.
The left-back wrote an emotional message on social media admitting he was “heartbroken” that his relationship with some Celtic fans would never repair.
But Brown believes everyone should wish the Scotland international well in the Premier League.
“All the lads are delighted for him,” the 34-year-old said ahead of Celtic’s Champions League qualifier against Cluj.
“He got a fantastic move and he’s got a fantastic club as well.
“He loves this club so much that it was a hard thing for him to do, but he’s going down to England, he’s going to play against the best players week in, week out and he’s going to be in Europe as well. Here’s hoping we get to the Champions League though.
“But we all wish him the best, he has been a fantastic servant to the club.
“When you look at it, he came through the youth, he has supported Celtic all the way through, he has not cost the club a penny and we have sold him for £25m.
“For me personally, it should be a fairy-tale story. When you look at Ajax and other teams like that, when they sell players that have come through the youth and given so much to the club, they have a big, massive party on the street and all the fans come out and cheer.
“It’s sad that we couldn’t all wish him a farewell at Celtic Park but I’m sure he will be back up.”
Tierney was at Celtic’s Lennoxtown training centre on Sunday to say goodbye to his team-mates after travelling to London while they were in Romania for their 1-1 first-leg draw against Cluj.
Manager Neil Lennon said: “He popped in for a bit and everyone was delighted to see him. He got a nice farewell from the players.
“It was emotional for him obviously, but the players get on with it now. That’s what you do, you move on.
“He’s going to be a big miss obviously but there’s an opportunity there for someone else to take on the mantle now.”
Lennon is still to iron out with chief executive Peter Lawwell and recruitment staff exactly how they will go about the final weeks of the summer transfer window following the £25m windfall.
The Celtic boss last week cautioned that they would not spend “silly money” but he refused to rule out spending the bulk of Tierney’s fee on three or four players.
“We’re not going to go out and break the transfer record, but we’ll add quality,” he added.
“No-one has said we are not going to spend some of the money. I imagine we may not spend all of the money but we will spend some of it, I’m sure.”