Devoted Tierney faces the biggest decision of his life
KIERAN TIERNEY has never required to borrow a megaphone to talk up his credentials as a modern-day Celtic icon.
Nonetheless, the image of the defender in full capo mode as his club celebrated the clinching of a seventh straight title last season is an enduring one.
Like his race from hospital to dash up the Hampden stairs after the 2017 Scottish Cup final, the sight of him serenading the Green Brigade spoke to the mutual love-in between the player and the fans with whom he still regularly stands.
There is no question that he is the real deal in every sense. The first Celtic full-back in recent memory to have earned the right to be mentioned in the same breath as Danny McGrain, his love for the club is beyond question.
Accordingly, when news of Everton’s serious interest in him surfaced late last week, the comfort blanket for the vast majority of Celtic supporters was the fact that the bond between Tierney and the club is absolutely authentic.
He has spoken often of his willingness to join the likes of Billy McNeill and Paul McStay in becoming one of the great one-club men. He may yet do so.
The fact is, however, that he is very much a 21st-century footballer. When Celtic players of the past resisted offers from elsewhere, the kind of money they knocked back was substantial but hardly life-changing.
In 2018, the green folding stuff doesn’t so much as talk but scream at you. Already one of Celtic’s highest earners at the outset of a six-year salary, Tierney would at least double his wage by moving to England. To say no would be the equivalent of taking a lighted match to a winning lottery ticket.
To be clear, with their financial position never stronger, Celtic are under no obligation to sell here. But while they continue to operate in the restricted Scottish market, the need to cash in on prized assets when the price and time are right is apparent.
Were £25million to be tabled for a player who came through their academy, they would be sorely tempted to do just that.
While money will largely dictate when and where Tierney moves, the sporting aspect in all of this cannot be overlooked.
Asked last Friday if the player would be better off staying and developing at Celtic for another couple of seasons, it was instructive that his manager Brendan Rodgers stopped just short of urging him to go to England now for the sake of his own progression.
It is hard to take issue with the Celtic boss on this count. Andrew Robertson has grown from being a fine player with Dundee United to a bona fide Liverpool star and a Champions League finalist in what feels like the blink of an eye.
There is nothing to suggest Tierney would not fare just as well on the other side of Merseyside or in North London.
While it is also correct to assume that Tierney will remain inundated with offers for the foreseeable future were he to stay put, at 21 years of age he is now standing at the crossroads.
Rodgers brought up the tragic case of John Kennedy last week to illustrate how fragile and uncertain a player’s career can be. You were left in no doubt as to the direction he is now urging Tierney to take. The clue is in the name — professional footballer.
The Celtic manager was able to live with the irony of a rare lapse in concentration by the player which led to his side losing 1-0 to Czech outfit Bohemians on Saturday.
Tierney’s indecision in possession led to Dominik Masek scruffily scoring the only goal of the game in the Austrian town of Wels but, as ever on such occasions, it was largely an exercise in fitness, with Rodgers fielding two different teams in contrasting formations.
The fact the match was played in warm temperatures, as opposed to the overcast conditions the club had experienced up to that point in their pre-season camp, was welcomed.
It may not have been anything like the heat they will face in Armenia when they meet Alashkert on July 10 but it was helpful all the same.
Whether Tierney will still be around to aid the cause remains to be seen.
Defender Kristoffer Ajer is almost certain to play a leading role, especially with team-mate Dedryck Boyata set to miss the Armenia trip due to Belgium’s exploits at the World Cup.
‘Of course it will be warm there and that’s a challenge for us,’ said Ajer. ‘But we’re really looking forward to it. We’ll go there fit and ready to play.
‘Obviously, we have been training hard in the last two weeks and we knew that we would be a bit tired after the game, but it was about getting match fitness and we did that.’
Ajer became a central figure for Rodgers the more last season wore on and there is no question that he will be front and central when this campaign gets underway. The added sense of responsibility rests well on his broad shoulders.
‘There’s always responsibility when you play with Celtic,’ said the Norwegian international.
‘When you are at such a massive club, with expectations of winning every game, there’s always pressure when you play.
‘I’m just delighted for Dedryck playing so many games in the World Cup and playing well. He’s worked very hard for this.
‘I still look at it as completely the same as last year. I still have a lot to prove.’