Arsenal bid snubbed by Tierney after first Rodgers training stint
CELTIC star Kieran Tierney last night revealed he has no regrets about snubbing a mega bucks move to England.
Record Sport revealed last May that London giants Arsenal were set to test the Parkhead club’s resolve with a whopping £10million bid for the left-back sensation.
But Tierney insisted a 10-minute chat with Brendan Rodgers, after the incoming manager’s first training session, convinced him he had to stay with his boyhood heroes.
The 19-year-old is adamant he isn’t solely motivated by money and is perfectly happy
From Back Page at the Hoops after signing a new five-year deal last June.
Tierney said: “The manager came in last year and I had been told already there was a big bid there.
“It was a dream season for me last year individually and the manager said he wanted me to stay and sign a deal.
“As soon as I trained under him, there was no convincing needed. I was going to stay at Celtic anyway.
“It’s always flattering to hear other clubs are interested but I had no doubt in my mind I wanted to stay.
“The money factor is what a lot of people care about.
“All I was working towards was earning a new deal at Celtic. I wasn’t looking to move somewhere else.
“The club could have brought in anybody as manager and I would have stayed but after speaking to Brendan I knew something special was happening.
“The way he spoke to me for 10 minutes after the first day at training was brilliant. That has continued all year.”
Manchester City, Liverpool and Manchester United are among a host of big clubs along with Arsenal still eyeing the Scotland international.
However, Tierney – who scooped the PFA Scotland and SFWA Young Player of the Year awards – only has eyes for an historic treble.
He believes it would be a fitting tribute to the Lisbon Lions if the current crop can complete the domestic season undefeated with victory in Saturday’s Scottish Cup Final as they celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club’s European Cup triumph.
Tierney, who will attend the “Celebrate 67” night at the Hydro on Thursday with his family, said: “The recognition the Lions get is totally deserved.
“They are everything to this club – they are so special.
“When we were at school and we had an hour on the computer me and my mates would watch old highlights of them. If we can win on Saturday it’s a great tribute to them and this new strip is in recognition of them as well.”
Meanwhile, Celtic’s hopes of landing Henry Onyekuru look doomed after Arsenal last night opened talks with his Belgian club Eupen for the Nigerian hitkid who has a £6.8million release clause.
● Tierney was speaking as he modelled the club’s new home kit that commemorates the Lions’ anniversary year.
The strip will be on sale in Celtic stores from today. SCOTT BROWN turned up at the front door in his best gear with a bottle of wine and was ready to give the relationship six months.
A year down the line, he admits he’s in it for the long haul with Brendan Rodgers now he has never felt more comfortable or confident in his time and place.
Brown is bidding this week to follow in the footsteps of Billy McNeill and Tom Boyd, the only other Hoops skippers to have led the club to a fabled grand slam of Scottish football.
It’s a far cry from last June when Brown was invited to dinner at the London home of his new boss, who was keen to assess what role – if any – the midfielder could play in his vision for the club.
The 31-year-old admitted he had serious doubts about how much he could give, especially as his body had been showing signs of breaking down in the previous season when Ronny Deila’s reign fizzled out with little fanfare.
As he recalled the get-together, Brown admitted he was more anxious about meeting the former Liverpool manager than he ever was squaring up to rivals in an Old Firm clash or Champions League group-stage game.
Brown said: “I was down on holiday and hadn’t really prepared for going to the manager’s house. My gear’s not the greatest at the best of times and I was thinking, ‘What am I going to wear?’
“But I turned up looking as smart as I possibly could.
“I took a taxi and we stopped at an Oddbins on the way for a nice bottle of wine – I was so nervous I almost drank it. I gave it to his missus then we went through and had a chat while she cooked for us.
“We had a bowl of pasta and the first thing he asked me was, ‘How long do you think you can keep playing?’ My first reaction was, ‘F*** – after last season I might not make six months.’
“He asked me how long I could play at the top level with Celtic and I said maybe two more seasons, maximum. Now I feel I can go on for four or more as long as I’m enjoying my football.
“He told me at the meeting it was a fresh start and it was good for me to know that. I’d just had six weeks off after injury and I was feeling better about myself.
“I didn’t know how my body would react going into pre-season and I broke down a couple of times early on because I can’t help myself from going flat out. But slowly I got better.
“All he asked was that I tried my best and that’s what I’m still doing now.
“It suited me he wanted a high pressing game and wanted everyone fit. That’s pretty much my game – to get the ball and give others the ball to make things happen.”
Brown has become the legs for Rodgers in the middle of the park and his eyes and ears off the pitch. The first language in the dressing room is always English and mobile phones are banned to encourage greater camaraderie.
It has paid off in spectacular fashion in Rodgers’s first season and Brown, who